Failure of cold-formed beam: How does residual stress affect stability?

In machine industry, stresses are often calculated using simple linear FEM analysis. Occasional failures of elements designed in such a way require recomputation by means of more sophisticated methods, eg. including plasticity and non-linear effects. It usually leads to investigation of failure causes and improvement of an element in order to prevent its unwanted behavior in the future. The study presents the case where both linear and non-linear analyses show some load capacity reserve and do not justify failure occurring in reality. Some non-standard causes are pointed out, including residual stress of a leading role.