Deformation of a slab on a rigid half space subjected to a periodic strip loading

The deformation of an elastic layer bonded to a rigid half-space and subjected to bands of pressure spaced periodically along a strip is treated. It is shown that there exists a critical periodicity of the band spacing for which the displacement of the top surface, midway between the bands, is a maximum. It is concluded that this periodicity varies with the thickness of the slab, the Poisson's ratio of the material, and the band width. Numerical calculations are presented to show the effect of these parameters.