One of the fundamental results in classical mechanics is that linear systems with n degrees of freedom have n orthogonal vibration modes and n natural frequencies which are independent of the vibration amplitude. Any motion of the system can be obtained as a linear combination of these modes. This does not hold for nonlinear systems in which case amplitude dependent vibrations modes and frequencies must be obtained. One way of obtaining these informations for arbitrary structures is to use a nonlinear finite element software. However, this is a cumbersome and time consuming procedure. A better approach is to derive a consistent low dimensional model from which the nonlinear frequencies and mode shapes can be derived. In this work a procedure for the derivation of low dimensional models for slender beams and portal frames is proposed. The differential equations of motion are derived from the application of variational techniques to a nonlinear energy functional. The linear vibration modes are used as a first approximation for the nonlinear modes. The Galerkin and Ritz methods are used in the model for the spatial reduction and the harmonic balance method for the reduction in time domain. This allows the analysis of the free and forced (damped or undamped) vibrations of the structure in non- linear regime. However nonlinear resonance curves usually presents limit points. To obtain these curves, a methodology for the solution of non-linear equations based on an arc-length procedure is derived. Based on the finite element methods and using the basic ideas of the perturbation theory, a correction for the nonlinear vibration modes is derived. The influence of boundary conditions, geometric, and force parameters on the beam response is analyzed. The behavior of L frames is studied. For this kind of frame, the influence of axial loading and geometric parameters on the response is studied. The results are compared with analytical solutions found in the literature.