Advances in the Theory of Plates and Shells, edited by G.Z. Voyiadjis and D.

Karamanlidis
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 1990 Printed in The Netherlands 87

BENDING OF THICK PLATES ON ELASTIC FOUNDATION

George Z. VOYIADJIS and Peter I. KATTAN

Department of Civil Engineering

Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA

In this work a two-dimensional elastostatic theory for thick plates

on an elastic foundation is presented. This theory incorporates the
transverse normal strain effect in addition to the transverse shear
and normal stress effects. The governing equations and solutions
for the non-symmetrical bending of circular thick plates resting on
an elastic foundation are presented. A problem for which the trans
verse effects (due to line and concentrated loads) are significant
is discussed. The results are compared to those obtained using the
plate theory by E. Reissner and the classical plate theory.
Illustrative numerical results for an infinite plate subjected to
line and concentrated loads resting on an elastic foundation are
included.

1. INTRODUCTION

Thick plates and specifically a particular class of problems with localized

surface loading require not only the incorporation of the transverse normal
and shearing stress effects but also the addition of the transverse normal
strain effect to the classical plate theory. The plate theory developed by
Reissner [1] incorporates the transverse normal and shearing stress and
constitutes a definite improvement over the Poisson-Kirchhoff plate theory,
Pister and Westmann [2] used a system of equations governing plate behavior
that are deduced as a limiting case of the equations for thin shells obtained
previously by Naghdi [3]. The effect of both the transverse shearing strain
as well as normal strain are retained in this plate theory.

In this work a two-dimensional elastostatic theory for thick plates on an

elastic foundation subjected to surface loads is presented. This theory
incorporates the transverse normal strain effect in addition to the transverse
shear and normal stress effects. The governing equations and solutions for
the non-symmetrical bending of circular thick plates resting on an elastic
foundation are presented.

A problem for which the transverse effects (due to line and concentrated
loads) are significant is discussed. For this problem, a comparison is made
among Poisson-Kirchhoff, Reissner, and the present theory. It is observed
that for plate problems requiring the inclusion of all transverse effects, the
present formulation presents a reasonable alternative to the three-dimensional
elastic theory.

2. GOVERNING DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

A linear variation of the bending stress and is assumed leading to

shearing stresses in the form ^ ^
88

^^ 2 2

3Q
_ ^ ^ [1 - (2)
> ~ 2 "

satisfying the boundary conditions

T^^(x,y, h/2) = Ty^(x,y, h/2) = 0 (3)

Using the stress differential equation of equilibrium

9 3 8
^ + ^ + = o (4)

and the equilibrium equation

_ x + _Z = _ + (5)

together with the following boundary conditions

a^(x,y, h/2) = - kw (6.1)

and

G^(x,y, - h/2) = - (6.2)

one obtains the following expression for the normal stress

jn
In equations (5), (6.1) and (7), w is the average transverse displacement and
is obtained by equating the work of the transverse shear stress ^^ due to
displacement w to the work of the transverse shear resultant 0^ due to average
displacement w

\ . w dz = w (8)

Expressing the normal strain in terms of the s t r e s s e s we obtain

I n r e f e r e n c e [4], R e i s s n e r considered a plate with no load and use w a s made of

the following expression

0^ + Oy = i f z(M^ + V

to modify the e x p r e s s i o n f o r t r a n s v e r s e displacement w. This approximation is

o f t h e s a m e o r d e r o f a p p r o x i m a t i o n a s t h a t g i v e n b y (1) a n d ( 2 ) . However i n
r e f e r e n c e [4], t h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n e x p r e s s e d b y e q u a t i o n (8) was d r o p p e d l e a d i n g
to a shear deformation p l a t e f o r m u l a t i o n w i t h no i n f l u e n c e o f t r a n s v e r s e
normal s t r a i n .

Substituting for the stresses from equations (7) and (10) into equation (9),
we o b t a i n
 89

=I [- |jj ( k W - ) (- ^
3h
+ + | ) - - 12V ^ ]
h
(11)

where

+ (12)
y
Integrating equation (11) with respect to z, we obtain the displacement w
4 2

- ^ V M z ! + w (x,y) (13)
Eh^
where w^(x,y) is the transverse displacement of the surface = 0.

Making use of the strain displacement relations

. ^xz V -

+ = ^ (14.2)
S ^ " ^yz "G^

we obtain consistent assumptions for the displacements u(x,y,z) and v(x,y,z).

The expression for u(x,y,z) is obtained by substituting for and w from (1)
and (13), respectively, into (14.1) and integrating with respect to to yield

3 f, 9w 3p. f ^ , hz . dp .
2Eh

3^^ ^ - ^ ^ - ^ 3^ 2Gh - + "o (15)

where u (x,y) is the u-displacement of the mid-surface. Similarly, using

equations (14.2), (2) and (13) and Integrating with respect to we obtain an
expression for v(x,y,z)

si-ci 5 3 , 2 . 2
3 9w dp.
dp ,
,
, .. hz
h z Vv .. 9dpp ,,zz .
15h

where (,y) is the v-displacement of the mid-surface. In the case of

refined theories of plates considering only the effect of shear deformation in
addition to the bending effect, the u^ and v^ are identically zero.

Utilizing the equations of the moment stress resultants

90

we obtain the following expressions for , and , respectively

y xy
= D [ ^ + V - ^ + ( - kw)] (18)
'\ - "^9 " ^ 9y

= + V ^ + ( - kw)] (19)

and

9 9
(20)
xy 2 hy ^ 8x ^

where

^ = Tk (21)

= -i ^ (22)

^y-|?4 (23)
and

= 1120F739h

_ 3EH
12(1+V)

_ 6v(l+v)
^ - 5Eh

12(l-v)^

2(l+v)

Substituting equations (22) and (23) into equations (18) through (20) and
eliminating Q and Q from these equations, we obtain
X y
2 2 2
= [ (_ D + i^) - DV ^ + DkK]5
^ ^ 3x 3y

2 2 2
= [- Dv ^ + (- D + il^) ^ + DkK]w
^ ax"^ 3y
 91

On further substituting equations (24), (25), (26), (22) and (23) into
equation (5) and the following two moment equilibrium equations

9M 9M
^ - ^ - <27)
9m 9m

we obtain the following system of simultaneous partial differential equation

In terms of the variables w, and
X y
^1 \2 ^13 " S

21 22 23 S (29)

31 32 33 *y S
where

a = (- D + 4^)
5
^
33
- VC 3_
3x3y'
_ (s - DkK) ^

12 5 3,2-^10%^2

a
a, =
- 5-
, s
^
13 10 9x9y

^2
=^22 10 " 9x9y
, _!l!s9,h!39.3
23 5 a,2^10%^2

' 92 9y2 " ^

^32 ~ 9x

^ 9__
^33 9y

vh^ 9
C
1 lO(l-v) 9x

C = 9_
'2 lO(l-v) 9y
92

Equations (29) are uncoupled and represent a sixth order bending problem. The
governing plate differential equation in terms of the average transverse dis-
placement w may be obtained from the set of equations (29) , yielding

_ K } w . - { [ ( 2 ( 2 ^ ) J V - [ ( | ! ( 3 z 2 V ) i v 2 ^ l } p (30)

Also by solving for and , we obtain the two governing equations for the
rotations: ^ ^

[w - K' (P - k 5 ) ] (31)

t_ Orv) / D ( 3 ^ ,2 ^ | - [ | ^ v 2 - i ]
y 3y 2

[w - K' (p - kw)] (32)

where K' KD/S.

3. NAVIER-TYPE SOLUTION

The preceding formulation is applied to the case of a simply supported plate

on an elastic foundation (Figure 1 ) . Assuming a uniformly distributed load
and expanding it in a double Fourier series, one obtains.

FIGURE 1
Coordinate axes for rectangular plate.
 93

p(x.y) = a sin sin 3 y (33)

m=l -1 ^
where

=21
m a

and
16^
^mn 2
mn TT
Using the Navier-type solution for simple supported rectangular plates, we
assume the solution for w to be of the form

00 oo
w(x,y) = w sin X sin 3 y (34)
, , mn m m
m=l n=l

The assumed form for w as given by expression (34) satisfies the following
boundary conditions

- 0 (35.1)

= 0 (35.2)

= 0 (35.3)

at edges = 0 and = a, and the boundary conditions

w = 0 (36.1)

^ = 0 (36.2)

My = 0 (36.3)

at edges y = 0 and y = b.

Substituting equations (33) and (34) into equation (30) we obtain an

expression for w
mn

where

mn 100(1-^) m m n^

(3-2V)h2 2 32 _
lO(l-V) m V ^^^^
2
(- _ 3^ 32 - 3Ct2 34 _ 36.
10 m m m
 94

Table 1. Deflections at the center of the plate.

(lbs/in^ . in) 200 2000 20000

w (in)
^1 ^2 ^3 ^1 ^2 ^3 ^ ^2 ^3

0.05 4.57292 4.62460 4.62572 3.03296 3.05560 3.06042 0.69442 0.69560 0.69811

0.1 0.60130 0.62990 0.62998 0.56366 0.58872 0.58941 0.34669 0.35601 0.35855

0.2 0.07565 0.09014 0.09015 0.07502 0.08925 0.08931 0.06925 0.08120 0.08167

0.3 0.02243 0.03210 0.03211 0.02238 0.03199 0.03200 0.02183 0.03089 0.03102

0.4 0.00946 0.01672 0.01672 0.00945 0.01669 0.01670 0.00936 0.01639 0.01644

0.5 0.00485 0.01065 0.01065 0.00484 0.01064 0.01064 0.00482 0.01052 0.01054

= 30 X 10^ psi (2,067 10^/kPa) w^: classical plate theory (Timoshenko [8])

V = 0.3 w^: Reissner [1]

a = b = 40 in (1,016 mm) w^: present work

m = = 1

p^ = 10000 psi (68,900 kPa)

 95

*w o <- - <> - - <)

Table 1 shows the deflections at the center of the plate. The results shown
in Table 1 are presented for different values of the modulus k together with
increasing values of the ratio of the plate thickness h to the plate length in
the X or y direction. For purposes of comparison, results are also obtained
from the classical theory of plates, together with Reissner's refined theory
[5]. These results indicate the increasing influence of the transverse normal
strain on the plate behavior as the parameters characterizing the influence of
the plate thickness, h/a, and the modulus are increased.

4. LEVY-TYPE SOLUTION

The Levy-type solution will be used for plates that are simply supported at
X = 0, and = a, and any combination of boundary conditions on the other two
edges at y = b / ? . The loading function is assumed to be independent of y
and can be represented by the Fourier half range sine series:

00
p(x) = sin (40)
- m m
m=l

with = miT/a. The coefficients of the Fourier series are given by

2 a
P = - / p(x) sin X dx (41)
m a o m

The three boundary conditions on each of the simply supported edges at = 0,

and X = a are given by expressions (36). For the edges on y = b / 2 , the
boundary conditions vary depending on the type of supports:

(a) For simple supports w = 0 (42.1)

(42.2)
*x =
= 0 (42.3)
y
(b) For fixed supports w = 0 (43.1)

(43.2)

= 0 (43.3)

(c) Free edge plate My = 0 (44.1)

Qy = o (44.2)

(44.3)

The solution of equation (30) for the Levy-type problem may be expressed as

w(x,y) = Wp(x) + Sy(x,y) (45)

The governing equations to be satisfied by w and w , for a load given by

equation (40), are ^
96

d w
-
d w
,2-
d w
^ + rH+ C (46)
dx^ dx^ dx dx" dx^
and

+ + C + = 0 (47)

where

(48.1)

(48.2)

C
k (^) (48.3)

= - k (48.4)

. r(L)2 (2-v
(48.5)

[~ ( ) ] (48.6)

- 1 (48.7)

The function w^ is expressed in the form

w = 3 sin (49)
m-1

in which is determined from equation (46) to be

I - J + L
m m
(50)
- + - C + 7?

m m m

The function w may be taken in the following form:

(51)
, m m
m=l

in which Y (y) may be shown to be (see Appendix I ) :

Y (y) = A cosh (e y) cos (f y) + cosh (e y) sin (f y)

m m m m m m m
+ C sinh (e^ y) cos (f^ y) + sinh (e y) sin (f y)
m m m m m m
+ cosh ( y) + F sinh (v y) (52)
m m m m

and A , , C , D , and F are independent constants of integration, The

expressior? for Y ?y) shown aSove has two additional terms when compared to
Frederick's soluion of the Reissner plate theory [5].
 97

For a symmetrical problem with respect to the x-axls, the complete solution
for w becomes:

w [A^ cosh (e^ y) cos (f^^^ y) + \ sinh (e^ y) sin (f^ y)

m*l

+ cosh ( y) + ] sin ( ) (53)

m m m m
For the symmetric problem under consideration, the solutions for the
average rotations and are taken in the form:
X y
00

- (y) cos (^ ) (54)

m=l

^ ml ^

in which

(y) = A* cosh (e y) cos (f y) + D' sinh (e y) sin (f y)

xm m m m m m m
+ E* cosh ( y) + 6 (56)
m m m
(y) = " cosh (e y) sin (f y) + C" sinh (e y) eos (f y)
ym m m m m m m
4- F" sinh ( y) + 6" (57)
m m m
A linear dependence exists among the nine constants A through F". In order
to obtain these relationships, together with the particular solutions 3' and
3", the following procedure is used,
m
Equations (18) through (20) are substituted into expressions (27) and (28)
together with the use of relations in equations (22) and (23) to eliminate the
transverse shear resultants Q and Q , hence
X y

^ | = t ^ ^ I k v i ! ! ! x ^ ( i ^ ! \
^ 3x S 13^2 + 2 3y2 + 2 5 ^

+ 1^ (p - kw)] (58)

^ 3y S 2 3^2 ^ 2 3x3y

+ 1^ (p - k5)] (59)

Substituting for , , w and from equations (54), (55), (53) and (40),
respectively, we oDtain the following uncoupled ordinary differential
equations in 5^^() and 't'yjn^y)

i ( 1 = V ) , d ^ ^ j _ (1.,) ^2 _ 1 3 ^ D d i
2 dy4 s2 m 2 S ^^2
98

^ (1-v) 4 _^ D (3-v) 2 . .

. . r O i v i - il=v). 2 _ ,
^'m 2 ^y2 S 2

. [w - K' (p^ - kw )] (60)

m m m
and

, (1-v) 4 , D (3-v) 2.,,, .

^ f2 %+ V

- L (1-v) 2 d_ d_,
" 2 dy3 " S 2 dy " dy^

. [w - K' (p - kw )] (61)
m m m
The linear dependence among the nine constants A through F" together with
solutions for ' and 3" are obtained by substituting equations (53), (56) and
(57) into equations (60) and (61). The resulting relationships are the
following:

(a + ) A (5 - ) D
A; = ^ El (1 + UK') (62)

(a^ + f )

( - ) A -- ( - ) D

( + )
m - . 2 2. (1 + kK) (64)
ts ^^m - -

^m K-""' ^Pm^^V^
(65)

(a - ) - (a + p) D
C" f 5 2 ( l + kK') (66)
(^ + ^)

( + ) - ( + ) D
D" 2 2 ( 1 + kK') (67)
(a + )

F" - - - ( 1 + kK') (68)

m rD , ,
where " = ts - ^m^ -
(69)
*^m
 99

. , ! liza . . . 2 . 1 , <.

- 2^ (1-V) f (ef - ff)

-2efJ[a-V)f<.^] (70.2)

^- = 1 ^ % < - - . | 1 ^ ? 1 ; . 1 ] (70.3)

^ = ', \ I (1-^) (70*>

^ - e j i i ? l ( e 2 . 3 f 2 ) - t | a l a 2 , , , (70.5)

g = E(lzn(f2_3e2)^[|(ifia2 + il f (70.6)
m S 2 m m S z t n m

The bending moments and may be obtained by substituting equations (40),

(53), (56) and (57) into equations (18) and (19) to yield

00
= D { [ - A' + (e C" + f B")
X - " ^ m m ^ m m m m
m=l

- 1* A ] <=sh (e^ y) cos (f^ y) + [- d;

+ V (e B " - f C") - kK D ] sinh (e y) sin ( f y)

m m m m m m m
+ [- E' + V F" - kK ] cosh ( y)
m m m m m m
- 3* + } sin ( ) (71.1)
m m m m
00
= D {[(e C" + f B") - V A'
y - m m m m m m
^ m=l

- kK A ] cosh (e y) cos (f y) + [(e B" - f C")

m m m m m m m
- V D ' - kK D ] sinh (e y) sin (f y)
m m m m m
+ [ F" - V ' - kK ] cosh ( y)
m m m m m m
- V 3' + } sin ( ) (71.2)
m m m m

5. SOLUTION IN POLAR COORDINATES

For the case of polar coordinates, the Laplacian operator

100

= (72.2)

and

= (72.3)

For the case of rotations and , we assume:

r

where ( )^ and ( ) stands for the homogeneous and particular solutions

respectively. ^

Introducing a rotation function F ( r , 0 ) such that

and

( ) = - Jf (76)
We note that equations (75) and (76) identically satisfy the homogeneous part
of equations (31) and (32) when transformed to polar coordinates. Substi
tuting both equations (75) and (76) into the homogeneous parts of equations
(38) and (39), we obtain:

i | ^ ( V 2 p . l 2 p ) . i J ^ = 0 (77)

| ^ ( V % . l f F ) - ^ - ^ . ^ ^ = 0 (78)

In Frederick's work [6], for the case of the Reissner plate theory, equations
(77) and (78) reduce to the Cauchy Riemann equations. However, we should note
that Frederick [6] expresses the shears Q and Q q in terms of a stress
function. ^

From equations (77) and (78), we can obtain the governing equation for the
function F

V2 (V2 + 10. 8_ _ 8_ jh_ ^ 8_

The homogeneous solution for the rotations can be obtained by solving equation
(79) for F and substituting in equations (75) and (76). The particular
solution of the rotations and ^ can be obtained by solving equations (38)
and (39). ^

The governing differential equation (30) for w may be rewritten as follows:

 101

{V6 riO + ill ]i ( 2 _ ^ x i + ]i (3 2V v2 ^ 10 kj -

^^2 ^ 10 D 4 - v^J ^ D 4 - V ^ ^

^ 4 0 D 4 - D 4 - V ^ ^ ^2 k " ^^"^
h

We assume that

= 0 (81.1)

and

() = 0 (81.2)

For the case of the Reissner plate theory fl], Frederick [6] assumed V^p = o.
We can therefore rewrite equation (80) as a purely homogeneous equation in
(w - p/k) instead of w as follows:

^^2 10 D 4 - J D 4 - V

-P>(w-^)=0 (82)

Equation (82) may be expressed as:

(V2_10) [ V ^ . h ! k ( | ^ ^ , 2 ^ | , (-2) =0 (83)

h
Equation (83) may be further factored in the form:

(V2 - 10) (V2 + ee^") (V2 + 6"^) (5 - E) = 0 (84)

where I Is defined In Frederick [6] as follows:

- 2- - k (85.1)
2 D

and
,2

Let

X = w - I (86)

and consequently, the solution of equation (84) reduces to the solution of the
following three differential equations:

o 1
- ^ = O (87)
h^

+ 3e^^ X^ = 0 (88)
102

V2 + "^*" 3 = O (89)

where

= + X2 + ^ (90)

and

w = + ^ = + C2 X2 + C3 X3 + ^ (91)

Finally, the general solution is given by:

w(r.9) = [A I (4^ r) + (- r)

=0

+ C (, ^ ) + (, ^ ) + (, ^ )
2 /

+ (, j)] cos

+ [ I
^ ^ h
(4^ r) +


^ h
(4^ r)

+ U ( p , f ) + D V ( p . f ) + ( p , f )
n n

+ F^ ( p . j)] sin + i (r,e) (92)

where A , , C , D , , F , A , , C , D , , F are constants to be

evaluated from the boundary conditions and = / r. It is noted that such a
general solution for the governing differential equation (30) is not
attainable for the case of rectangular plates.

6. SOLUTION FOR THE AXISYMMETRIC CASE

In the case when the geometry of the plate problem and the corresponding
loading function p(r) depend on r only, the solution of the governing
differential equation (30) reduces to the following expression:

^ ( ^ ^ = *o ^o + \ h

+ (P, f ) + (p. f ) + (, | )

+ (P. f ) + P(r) (93)

For the axisymmetric case, equations (38) and (39) reduce to the following:
d^d) d - -
' ^ - ^ : 7 ^ - ^ , - | . ^ ( ^ - ^ ) - | | ! . 0 (94)
j^2 r dr ^2 -^r D '^r " " ^d? d?^ d?
 103

Assuming

where ( ) satisfies the following differential equation

r

dr
The general solution of ( ) is given by
r rl

The particular solution ( ^ ) ^ satisfies the following equation:

^ ^ 1 ^^r 1 . KD dp . _^ kKD. dw ^
cir r
A particular solution of equation (98) is given by

,, . _ dw D rd^w . 1 d^w 1 dw ^ .dp , dw. ,

^Vp - - dF - s f 3 ^ 7 7 - 7 d7 - ^ ^ d i - ^ d?)^ ^9^^

7. THE INPLACE DISPLACEMENTS

Using the equations of the normal force resultants in polar coordinates:

we obtain

r = 7 ^ ( J ? ^ ^ o - 7 > ) - I ( I ^ ( P - ' ^ w )

3 3 2
+ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ P + kw) + I ^ (P + kw) (101.1)
48(1 - V ^ ) ^"^^ * > dr^
Eh ,"0 , 1 ^'O ^ ^"O, Vh , ^
" (- + 7 ^ ^ - 2(1 - V ) (P + ")

+ ^ ^ - ^ V2 (p + kiJ) - f ^ ^ 7^ (P + ^^) (101.2)

48(1 - v ^ ) + er
_ Eh , 1 0 ^ 0 1 . _^ h^ 1 8 / ^ , -^
''re - 2(1 + ) (?- + ^ - 7 ^0^ 48(1 + v ) 7 ^7S^ (P +

+ 4 8 V v ) - \ TO (P + i^") (101.3)

Substituting equations (101) into the following inplane equilibrium equations

104

3N , 3

_ + i _ i o ( 1 0 3 )
3r r 3

We obtain the following system of partial differential equations in and v^:

11 12 0 = 1 (p + kw) (104)
"21 ^ 2 ^0 h
where

1 - 'hr 2 ^2 ^^2

, Eh 1 8 ,9 1.

^2 = 2(1 - V ) 7 e ^^'- (105-2)

, Eh 1 a ,1 a ,

^21 = 2(1 - V) 9 (? " 37^ (105.3)

= i _ vh-^ 2
1 - 2(1 - V ) a r - , 3 ^ ^ ^ ^ 2 ^ 3r ^

(105.5)
^(1 ' a r ^ r2 arae2 r^ ae^'

A vh 1 a h^ 1 a 2 . 2h^ 1 a A^

^2 - 2(1 - V) r ae " ^7777 r ae ^ ^ 48(i + v) 7 a ? ^^^^'^^

Equations (104) together with (29) form an uncoupled tenth order system for
the problem of unsjnnametrical bending of thick plates on elastic foundation.
Equations (104) together with equations (13), (15), and (16) can now be used
to solve plate s t a b i l i t y problems.

8. INFINITE PLATE RESTING ON A N E L A S T I C FOUNDATION

8.1 Line Load

An infinite plate resting on an elastic foundation is subjected to a line load

of intensity (force per unit length) acting along the y-axis of the plate as
shown in Figure 2. The solution is independent of y. The governing differen
t i a l equations for this problem are

( , ) w . ( , , , 4 2 ^ ^ ^ , w

dx
 105

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

i
I 1

FIGURE 2
Infinite plate subjected to a concentrated load P.

,3-
(1 + kK ) Ig 2 dx^ (107)

d^0
D (3-V)
2^ ^ 0 (108)
^2 2 dx dx

Due to the load, there is_a uniform deflection along the y-axis. Let this
deflection be denoted by w . The boundary conditions at = 0 can be written
as:

w(0) = w (109)

^(0) = 0 (110)
dw (0)
(111)

Satisfying the boundary conditions that w, and (and consequently and

V ) vanish as approaches infinity, the solutions ?or w, and take the
following form: ^ ^

w =
4 exp(- ,) + C2 e x p ( -
o
) cos
(^o
X)

+ exp(- ^) sin ( ) (112)

= exp(- ) + exp(- ) cos X)

X o < ^

exp(- ^) sin (3 ) (113)

s o

= exp(- ) + C'^ e x p ( - ) cos X)

y o

+ exp(- ) sin (3 x) (114)

o
106

The respective values of the coefficients are given in Appendix II. Comparing
the preceding three relations to those obtained by Frederick [5] in his
solution of the Reissner plate theory, we notice that the above solution con
tains an additional term.

To solve for the constants of integration, equations (112) and (113) are sub
stituted into equation (107) to obtain

S = (1 AK-)W ^ S> (11^)

S = (1 AK')W (- '4 + S ) (ii^>

where

^ = - f - 1) (11>
o

- f ^ (^ + 3^) + 1] (119)

V =
O g 3
fS! = ) !
4 o
, V ^
o g Z
:^ 4
( 2 ^ ^2^2
o o

.I S Z
( 1 ^ (3
o
2 _ 32
O g Z Z
( 1 ^ ( 2 ^
0 0
2^
0
2 _ 3 2^
o

+ ? (1-v) ( B ^ - a^) + 1] (121)

S 0 0

Applying the first two boundary conditions, (109) and ( 1 1 0 ) , we obtain

C- + C = w (122)
1 2 o
C^ + C^ = 0 (123)

Substituting for w from equation ( 2 1 ) into the boundary condition expressed

by relation (lll),we obtain

^^-T^^ - 2 l^KD] (- C - C + B^ C.)

O 1 o J

+ D (1+) [^ C[ + (^ - ^) - 2 BQ C^ ] = (124)
 107

Substituting for C , C and C from equations (115), (116) and (117), respec-
tively', into equations (122) and (124) and solving the resulting two equations
along with (123) simultaneously, we obtain

(1 + kK')
C[ = 2 (125)
(A^ - A,) - + A3 (Z - -)

C - (126)

5^ (1 + kK') (A2 - A^)

^3 . . V . . \ . V (127)
(A^ - A^) ii + A3 (Z - -)

where

A,

= D (1-HV) (^ - 2) _ ; [| . 2 KKD] (129)

A3 = - 2D (1+) (^ $) + " - 2 kKD] (130)

The constants C-, and can now be obtained from equations (115), (116)
and (117). ^

Using the solution outlined above, two types of plates are investigated. The
first type is a steel plate with a modulus of elasticity of 30,000 kips per
sq.in. (1 ksi = 6.895 MPa) and a Poisson's ratio of 1/3. The plate is resting
on a thin concrete block. The second type is a concrete plate with a modulus
of elasticity of 2,000 kips per sq.in. and a Poisson ratio of 0.2. For both
types of plates, the deflections are obtained for two different plate thick
nesses and modulii of foundation.

In Figures 3 and 4, the deflections, for concrete and steel plates, under the
line load are presented for the proposed theory and compared to the classical
plate theory and Reissner's plate theory [5]. For the classical plate theory,
the two boundary conditions used are those expressed by equations (109) and
(111). The plate thicknesses and modulii of foundation use^ in these figures
are chosen in order to provide an adequate range of the (kh /D) ratio for
practical applications. The ratios kh /D chosen in Figures 3 and 4 fall
within the range of values that are frequently encountered in civil
engineering problems. For example, in most steel plates occurring in civil
engineering structures, the ratio kh /D varies from 1/20 to 1/1,000 [7]. It
is noted from these figures that as the ratio of kh /D increases, the values
of the deflections obtained using the present theory become closer to
Reissner's plate theory.

The results presented in Figures 3 and 4 indicate the importance of the incor
poration of the transverse normal strain in the proposed theory in addition to
the other transverse effects especially in the case of local load application.
We also note that the deflections obtained from the proposed theory dissipate
faster, as we move away from the line load along the x-axis, than those
obtained from the other two theories.
108

FIGURE 3
Comparison of the deflections in terms of w
for the line-load problem for concrete plate.

In Figures 5, 6 and 7, the moments and shears are presented and compared with
Reissner's plate theory. For the moments in Figures 5 and 6, two different
values of the modulus of foundation are used. The proposed theory indicates a
reduction in the maximum bending stress and maximum shear stress compared to
the other two plate theories.

The results may also be expressed in terms of instead of w through the

relation [5]

Q,(0) = - f (131)

Substituting for and w from equations (112) and (113), respectively, into
equation (22) and applying the boundary condition described by equation (131),
we obtain

(132)
 109

^^^""""^^ S I /275
STEEL, h = 5"
> ,^-^ k 2000 Ib/in3
- / ^

^--ft 1 I \

;^ ^

5 10 15
x/h

/
kh /D = 1/12.5
STEEL. h= 10"
14' 1 / k = 20,000 Ib/in^
Rtfined Theory
A Reissntr Theory

\ l i l t l i l i -J 1 1 1 1 1

FIGURE 4
Comparison of the deflections in terms of w
for the line-load problem for steel plate.

Substituting for C^, C and C^ from equations (115), (116) and (117), respec
tively, into equation (132) and solving the resulting equations simultaneously
with equations (123) and (124), we obtain
P(l + kK')

4 ( a ^ U + 6^ V) +
(A2 - A^)
2S (3^ - V) - A3 ]

(133)

4 4 (1 + kK') (2 - ^)
(134)

(2 - ^)
2S (^ + 3 V) + (3^ - V) - A3 ]

(135)

Figure 8 shows the deflection in terms of the load P. The boundary con
dition expressed by equation (131) is now used instead of that of equation
110

-
khVo = 1/1.74
CONCRETE, h= 50"
k = 2000 Ib/in^

I 1 T'^-'.A^
" ^ a 2 . 0 3.0
- 1.0
x7h *

kh^/D = 5.76
CONCRETE, h = 50**
k = 20,000 Ib/in3
Refined Theory
Reissner Theory

FIGURE 5
Comparison of the moments in terms of w for
the line-load problem for concrete plate.

(109). We note from this figure that the maximum deflection under the line
load is greatly increased due to the inclusion of the transverse normal
strain.^ The maximum deflection obtained using the present theory is
0.12 Ph /D for the concrte plate as compared to 0.04 Ph /D for th^ Reissner
theory^ The corresponding results for the steel plate are 1.2 Ph /D and
0.2 Ph /D, respectively.

8.2 Concentrated Load

The problem of an infinite plate resting on an elastic foundation and sub

jected to a concentrated load P, at r = 0, is presented here (see Figure 2 ) .
Since the function I becomes infinite as r approaches infinity, the corre
sponding constant A is set equal to zero. Similarly, the functions ,
and V become infinite under the load and therefore the corresponding con-
stants , and F are also set equal to zero. The expression for the
deflectiSn is now reduced to the following form

w(r) C U (r) + D V (r) (136)

o o o o
Substituting equation (108) into equation (113), the expression for is
given as follows for this example:
 Ill

0.10 r-
kh^/0= 1/275
STEEL, h 5 "
k s 2000 Ib/ln^

kh^D = 1/28
STEEL, h= 5"
k =20,000 lb/in'

Refintd Theory
A RtUtner Theory

0.05 h

0.00

-0.05

FIGURE 6
Comparison of the moments in terms of
for the line-load problem for steel plate.

0.5

-0.5 kh^/O = 1/1.74

CONCRETE, h = 50
k ' 2000 lb/in'

Refined Theory
Reiner Theory

FIGURE 7
Comparison of the shears in terms of for
the line-load problem for concrete plate.
112

kh^/D = 3.57
STEEL, h=5"

R t f i n e d Theory
^Reitsntr Thtory

FIGURE 8
Comparison of the deflections in terms
of for the line-load problem.

- /B [(C^ cos y + sin |) (1 - D (i^ " ^ K))

- D (C cos 1^ + sin ] U-
o o i

- / [(C cos I - sin ^) (1 - D (i^ - k K))

o o ^ (137)

- D 3 (C^ cos - 1^
sin ) ]
In order to evaluate the constants C and D , two boundary conditions are
identified. First we calculate the shearing force where

Q, = - D 4 . i ^ - i , f . . K f (138)
dr dr r
Substituting in equation (138) for the derivatives of w (see Appendix I I I ) , we
obtain
 113

- /5 D [ cos 1^ - 6 sin 1^
+ (^2 - k K) (U^ cos f- sin |)]

- / E D [ sin 1^ + 3 cos 1^
+ (2 - 1^ K) (U^ sin + cos j)] (139)
r
Using the following expressions

lim ^ 1 ^ ^ ^ 1 yff / ^ .
r-0 = 2 ^ (^^^ 2 - 2> (140)

(141)

and

U^(0) V^(0) = 0 (142)

the value of Q^, as r decreases, approaches

- [(U^ c o s | - sin|)

+ (U^ sin + cos ) D^] (143)

Equating the above equation to the following

and taking the limit as r tends to zero we obtain the first equation for
evaluating the constants and

C (cos - sin a) + D (cos + sin a) = - - | - (145)

o o TI pD
The second condition satisfies zero rotation under the concentrated load.
Making use of the following equations

^ 0 ^
dr
= 1 [C^ (sin - cos a ) - (cos + sin a ) ] (146)

,3- D
^0 r ^ = 3 [C^ (cos - sin - | ) + ^ cos a] (147)
dr
lim 1 dw _ , .
r-0 7 d7 " 2 (^o - ^o^ (1^^)

and substituting them in the expression for ^ (equation (136)), we obtain the
second equation for evaluating the constants ^
114

C (cos - sin - 2) + D (1 - sin ) = 0 (149)

o o
Solving equations (145) and (149) for C and D , we obtain the expression for
the deflection w given by o o

(1 - sin ) (r) + (2 + sin - cos ) V (r)

w(r) = [ - 5 ] ^ (150)
2 + 3 COS sin
The maximum deflection occurs under the load at r = 0 and is given by (using
U (0) = V (0) = 1 ) :
o o
2
= ( , ) ^ (151)
"^'^ 2 + 3 cos sin^
The authors compared their results with both the classical theory (Timoshenko
and Woinowski-Krieger [8]) and Reissner's plate theory [1]. In order to
obtain the solution to this problem using Reissner's theory, the equations for
the deflection and shear forces are obtained from Frederick's paper [6] and
applied to the same boundary conditions used here. The following expression
for the deflection is obtained by the authors:

(L + cos + sin a) U! (r) - (L + cos - sin a) V (r) 2

o i r ; - ^,L -r c o s u - s m u ; v oi r ; , r X. /

(152)
where

3k
L = 5^ (153)

For the case of the classical plate theory, the deflection is given by
(Timoshenko and Woinowski-Krieger [8])

where

kei^(x) = i Im[Y^(xe^^/S] - j Re(J^(xel^/S ] (155)

and the functions Re[x] and Im[x] denote the real and imaginary parts of x,
respectively. Using the solutions outlined above for all three theories given
by equations (150), (152) and (154), we obtain the maximum deflection under
the load w for each theory. All_three theories converge to a similar expres
sion for the maximum deflection w given by

where assumes the values of for the classical theory, 4 for the Reissner
theory and 6 for the proposed refined theory. However, it should be noted
that the value of 6 for the proposed refined theory is calculated based on the
value of (h/l) equal to 2.38.

Numerical results are shown in Figures 9 and 10 for the values of h/i equal to
2.6 and 3.0, respectively, using 3 = 1 and - 1/3. In these figures the
deflection is plotted along a radial section from the concentrated load. The
proposed theory yields considerably larger deflections than Reissner's theory
 115

Refined Theory
Reissner Theory
Clossicol Theory

FIGURE 9
Deflection of plate for h/6 2.6.

Refined Theory
Reissner Theory
Classical Theory

FIGURE 10
Deflection of plate for h/ 3.0.

and the classical plate theory. This is primarily due to the inclusion of the
transverse normal strain and its direct influence on the deflection in the
vicinity of the concentrated load. These results Indicate a wider difference
between the classical, Reissner and the proposed theory. This is attributed
to the nature of the concentrated load. Pister and Westmann [2] results did
not indicate the wider difference between these theories primarily because
their load was uniformly distributed over a circular section. The presence of
116

the concentrated load in this work intensifies the importance of the incor
poration of he transverse normal strain effects.

In Figure 11, the relationship between the deflection under the concentrated
load and the parameter i is shown for the three theories. The difference in
the deflection between the three theories increases as decreases. This
implies the less rigid the plate, the larger the difference between the three
theories provided k is maintained constant. Similarly, a stiffer soil will
give rise to larger differences in the deflections between the three theories
provided the plate stiffness D is kept constant.

Refined Theory
Reissner Theory
Clossicol Theory

FIGURE 11
Deflection of plate under the
concentrated load versus ^.

9. CONCLUSION

A refined theory for the bending of thick plates is formulated here. The
governing differential equations for w, and (and , ) are presented
based on the work done by Voyiadjis and Baluch [9] and VoyiaXjis and Kattan
[10]. The general solution of the governing differential equation is derived
for the general case of non-symmetrical bending of thick plates on elastic
foundations subjected to biharmonic surface loads.

In order to demonstrate the importance of the present theory, an infinite

thick plate subjected to line and concentrated loads is analyzed. It is clear
from the presented example in this work that the transverse normal strain has
a profound effect in problems involving concentrated loads which is not dis
played acutely for the problem of line loads. Since earlier two-dimensional
plate theories do not consider the effect of the normal strain, the proposed
theory provides a more realistic representation of the deformation of thick
plates on elastic foundation, particularly in the case of local load appli
cations. Furthermore, it presents a reasonable alternative for the three
dimensional elasticity theory considering the complexity of the full blown
 117

equations for that theory. This is especially true when considering thick
plates on elastic supports.

REFERENCES

[1] Reissner, E., "The Effect of Transverse Shear Deformation on Bending of

Elastic Plates," Journal of Applied Mechanics, Vol. 12, (1945), p. A69.
[2] Pister, K. S. and Westmann, R. ., Bending plates on an elastic founda
tion. Journal of Applied Mechanics, ASME, Vol. 84, (1962), pp. 369-374.
[3] Naghdi, P. M., On the theory of thin elastic shells. Quarterly of Applied
Mathematics, Vol. 14, (1957), pp. 369-380.
[4] Reissner, E., "On Transverse Bending of Plates, Including Effect of
Transverse Shear Deformation," International Journal of Solids and
Structures, Vol. 11, (1975), pp. 569-573.
[5] Frederick, D., "Thick Rectangular Plates on an Elastic Foundation,"
Transactions, ASCE, Vol. 122, Paper No. 2898, (1957), pp. 1069-1085.
[6] Frederick, D., On some problems in bending of thick circular plates on an
elastic foundation. Journal of Applied Mechanics, ASME, Vol. 78, (1956),
pp. 195-200.
7] Lorch, . G., Discussion on Reference [5] by Frederick, ASCE, Vol. 122,
Paper No. 2898, (1957), pp. 1086-1087.
[8] Timoshenko, S. and Woinowski-Krieger, S., Theory of Plates and Shells,
2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, (1959), pp. 265-267.
[9] Voyiadjis, G. Z. and Baluch, M. H., "Refined Theory for Flexural Motions
of Isotrpic Elastic Plates," Journal of Sound and Vibration, Vol. 76,
No. 1, (1986), pp. 57-64.
[10] Voyiadjis, G. Z. and Kattan, P. I., "Thick Rectangular Plates on an
Elastic Foundation," Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, Vol. 112,
No. 11, (1986), pp. 1218-1240.

NOMENCLATURE

x,y,z *= rectangular coordinates

r,e,z = polar (cylindrical) coordinates

h = thickness of the plate

= intensity of a continuously distributed load

^,^,^ " normal components of stress parallel to x, y and axes

^,^,^ = normal components of stress parallel to r, and axes

^xy'^xz'^yz ~ ^^^^'^^ng stress components of rectangular coordinates

QT , T q = shearing stress components of polar coordinates

r rz Uz
u,v,w, = displacement components of x, y and directions or r, and
directions

, , = strain (normal) components in x, y and directions

x y z
> = strain (normal) components in r, and directions
r

\y*^xz*^yz shearing strain components in rectangular coordinates

" shearing strain components in polar coordinates

r rz Z
118

- Young's modulus of elasticity

G = shear modulus

= Poisson's ratio

D = flexural rigidity of the plate

^, = bending moments per unit length of section of a plate

perpendicular to and y axes respectively

M^,Mq = bending moments per unit length of section of a plate

perpendicular to r and axes respectively

= twisting moment per unit length of section of a plate

xy
perpendicular to axis

= twisting moment per unit length of section of a plate

perpendicular to r axis

Q^,Qy = transverse shear forces per unit length

Q ,Q = transverse shear forces per unit length

r
average rotations of sections = constant, y = constant,
^x'^y
respectively

, = average rotations of sections r = constant, = constant,

^ respectively

w = average transverse displacement

k = modulus of foundation k (in pounds per square inch per

inch)

APPENDIX I - Solution of Equation (47)

Assuming

Y (y) = exp(n y) (I.l)

m m
the characteristic equation of the homogeneous solution of equation (47) may
be written as follows:

^% - + ( r - 2)2 - K n ^ - a^) c + = 0 (1.2)

Let

6
m = 2
m -
alm (1.3)

hence equation (2A) may be rewritten as:

m + t 6^ + m q
m + r = 0 (1.4)

where
 119

(1.3.2)

r = - (i2|) (1.5.3)

Substituting

= - t/3, then
m m
equation (4A) can be reduced to a simpler cubic equation in the form

+ a + b = 0 (1.6)
m m

where

a - i (3q - t^) (1.7.1)

and

b = iy (2t^ - 9tq + 27r) (1.7.2)

The solution will have two complex conjugate roots and one real root since the
following condition is satisfied for plates

| ^ + > 0 (1.8)

The final solution to equation (55) is expressed by equation (59) where ^^(v)
is given by expression (60). In equation (60), we have

e = cos ( /2) (1.9.1)

m m m

f = /F sin ( /2) (1.9.2)

m m m

, = [ ( " J ^ + A + - '/3]l''^ (1.9.3)

m m

where e and f are obtained from the complex conjugate roots and Y from the
real root. In"^expression (9A) , we have

m = m - <
2 + 3
b'-^ + 3 2 (1.10.1)

= tan-l {[ ^]/[(^)^ - ( + |)]) (1.10.2)

(-1+ r + fj)^^^ (1.10.3)

= ( - | - l^ + fj)^^^ (1.10.4)
120

APPENDIX II - Solution of Equations (106) - (108)

The steps followed to obtain the solution for w are identical to that of
equation (47). In this Appendix, only the corresponding values of the
parameters of the solution are given as follows:

= (A + - |)l/2 (II.1)

where ^ 0 since A + - t/3 >^ 0 for plates

= / p ^ cos (^/2) (II.2)

= / " sin (^/2) (II.3)

o o o

and

*^ = tan-l ^ 3 ] / ( ^ + |] (II.5)

APPENDIX III - Derivatives of w Given by Equation (93)

/To
| = A ^ I,
I ( ^ r) - B ^- f i (^ r)
h ^1 h O h

(^o cos J + D sin j )

o

sin - D eos j)
(^o
o

cos Y+ F sin y)
(^o
o

.
(^o
sin J - CCS f)
"o

. I g (1...,)

- 3 (C eos + D sin a) U
o o o
+ 3 (C sin - D eos a)
o o o

+ j| (c^ eos f + D^ sin f )

+ :|(D^eosf-C^ slnf)
 121

- 3 ( cos + F sin )
o o o
+ 3 (
o
sin - F
o
cos ) o

+ ( cos ^ + F sin ^ )
r o o 1

2
(III.2)
dr

.3-
"w _ . ,10 _ , . _^ 10 ,/lO 2 , ^ ,/I

^ . fio ..^ . . 10 ,/ 2 . ^ , ^ ,.-11

+ *o [ - 2 '^o + 72 ^"h 2^ '^l "^^l

rn r
+ - (C
r o
eos + D
o
sin a) IJ + - (D
o r o
eos - co sin a ) o

+ /3 [3 C eos ~ eos + 3 D eos ^ sin - 3 C sin ~ sin

o o o

+ 3 sin Y eos 1 cos 1 sin j]

- /3 [3 C sin ^ eos + 3 D sin ^ sin + 3 C eos ^ sin

o 2 o 2 o 2
^ ^
- 3 eos Y eos 0* + j eos + " sin ]
R _ R
+ - (E
r^o
eos + F sin a)
o
+ - (F
^ o r ^ o
u eos -
o
sin ) o

+ /3 [3 eos ^ eos + 3 F eos ^ sin - 3 sin ^ sin

o 2 o 2 o 2
F
+ 3 F^ sin I eos - - | eos I - "I sin | ]

- /3 [3 sin ^ eos + 3 F sin ^ sin + cos ^ sin

o o o 2

F

cos f2 cos + 42 cos ^ +
vo 2 -
42 sin ^ ]
2' v,+ i
k T T
^ (III.3)
L dr
where U^, V^, ^, V^, U^, V^, and are evaluated at (r, / 2 ) .