Abstract: In this paper, Minimum Incremental Loading Criterion for identifying significant failure modes of a structural system is suggested on the pase of optimality criterion Method presented by Y.S. Feng. In any stage of structural system failure history, the present criterion not only accounts for the actual stresses in elements of structural system but also try to make the incremental loads crresponding to the current stage minimized by selecting appropriate failure elements, which are to enter significant failure modes. The criterion suggested by this paper is ofcapability of effectively identifying significant failure modes of a structural system, because it accounts for the actual failure state and failure history of a structural system. The validity of the proposed criterion is demonstrated by numerical example.

Key words: Criterion Method, Significant Failure Modes, Incremental Loading, Optimility ailure History