Finite-element analysis of rectangular plates with rectangular inserts

The present investigation deals with the stress distribution in the vicinity of rectangular inserts in finite rectangular plates. This problem is more complex due to the singularities at the corners of the inserts. In this paper, the finite-element technique is used to determine the deformations and, subsequently, the stresses. The paper treats the problem in a generalized form in the sense that the size and orientation of the insert are taken as variables. The finite rectangular plate is subjected to a uniform axial tensile load. The material of the plate and that of the insert are considered to be different. Element selections are made which are optimal with regard to accuracy and computational effort. The local element stresses which generate considerable discontinuity at the element nodes are plotted. Averaging process for the local stress calculations is discussed and these are compared with the results available¹ which are obtained by experimental techniques.     

Large deflections of rectangular plates

Approximation of large, non-linear deflections of rectangular plates by a Fourier cosine series and evaluation of the resulting energy expressions leads to highly accurate results for maximum plate deflection. Consideration of non-linear terms which arise in the expression for membrane energy leads to a stiffer plate behavior resulting in considerably smaller deflections than can be accounted for by the classical small-deflection theory and by some modern approaches to largedeflection analysis. Results compare favorably to infinite element analysis results. Various boundary conditions are considered.     

Vibration of rectangular orthotropic plates

Summary An approximate analytical procedure has been given to solve the problem of a vibrating rectangular orthotropic plate, with various combinations of simply supported and clamped boundary conditions. Numerical results have been given for the case of a clamped square plate.Nomenclature 2a, 2b sides of the rectangular plate - h plate thickness - E _x , E _y , E, G elastic constants of te orthotropic material - D _x E _x h ³/12 - D _y E _y h ³/12 - H _xy Eh ³/12+Gh ³/6 D _x , D _y and H _xy are rigidity constants of the orthotropic plate - mass of the plate per unit area - Poisson's ratio - W deflection of the plate - p circular frequency - b/a ratio - X _m , Y _n characteristic functions of the vibrating beam problem - p ² a ² b ²/H _xy the frequency parameter.     

Thermal stresses in rectangular plates

Summary A method of determining the thermal stresses in a flat rectangular isotropic plate of constant thickness with arbitrary temperature distribution in the plane of the plate and with no variation in temperature through the thickness is presented. The thermal stress have been obtained in terms of Fourier series and integrals that satisfy the differential equation and the boundary conditions. Several examples have been presented to show the application of the method.Nomenclature x, y rectangular coordinates - _x, _y direct stresses - _xy shear stress - ø Airy's stress function - E Young's modulus of elasticity - coefficient of thermal expansion - T temperature - ² Laplace operator: - ⁴ biharmonic operator - 2a length of the plate - 2b width of the plate - a/b aspect ratio - a _mr, b_ms, c_nr, d_ns Fourier coefficients defined in equation (6) - _m=m/a m=1, 2, 3, ... _n=n/2a n=1, 3, 5, ... - _r=r/b r=1, 2, 3, ... _s=s/2b s=1, 3, 5, ... - A _m, B_m, C_n, D_n, E_r, F_r, G_s, H_s Fourier coefficients - K _rand L _s Fourier coefficients defined in equation (20) - direct stress at infinity - T ₁(x, y) temperature distribution symmetrical in x and y - T ₂(x, y) temperature distribution symmetrical in x and antisymmetrical in y - T ₃(x, y) temperature distribution antisymmetrical in x and symmetrical in y - T ₄(x, y) temperature distribution antisymmetrical in x and y     

On stress concentration in rectangular plates having rectangular inserts

This paper deals with a study of stress-concentration factors in finite rectangular plates with rectangular inserts. The paper includes the effects of insert size and its orientation on stress concentrations. Photoelastic models for this investigation are made from hard and soft plastics having different elastic properties.     

Bending of uniformly cantilever rectangular plates

An exact solution is given for the bending of uniformly loaded rectangular cantilever plates by using the idea of generalized simply supported edge together with the method of superposition. As illustrative examples, a square plate and a rectangular plate with the ratio of the clamped edge to the neighbouring free edge equal to two are solved numerically. The results are compared with those obtained from approximate methods to confirm the validity of the method presented.     

Nonlinear buckled states of rectangular plates

A constructive method is developed to establish the existence of buckled states of a thin, flat elastic plate that is rectangular in shape, simply supported along its edges, and subjected to a constant compressive thrust applied normal to its two short edges. Under the assumption that the stress function and the deformation of the plate are described by the nonlinear von Kármán equations, the approach used yields information regarding not only the number of buckled states near an eigenvalue of the linearized problem, but also the continuous dependence of such states on the load parameter and the possible selection of that buckled state “preferred” by the plate. In particular, the methods used provide a rigorous approach to studying the existence of buckled states near the first eigenvalue of the linearized problem (that is, near the “buckling load”) even when the first eigenvalue is not simple.     

Multiple buckled states of rectangular plates

We consider the buckling of a simply supported plate subjected to a constant edge thrust λ. The aspect ratio l is such that the critical thrust (the first bifurcation point of the associated non-linear eigenvalue problem) is of multiplicity two. A study of the non-linear static problem indicates that there are nine possible equilibrium states. One of these corresponds to the unbuckled state while the remaining eight represent buckled states. A linear stability analysis and a calculation of the potential energy of each of the static solutions indicates that four of the solutions are stable and five are unstable.     

Bending of edge-bonded dissimilar rectangular plates

This study develops the extended Kantorovich method (EKM) to provide a closed form semi analytical solution for the bending analysis of two edge-bonded thin rectangular plates. The constituent plates could be different in thickness, length, material, loading conditions, and Winkler foundation’s stiffness. A combination of clamp, free, and simply supports are applied to the structure. The shared edge in the composite plate is assumed to be perfectly bonded. By applying the EKM together with the idea of weighted residual technique, two sets of ODEs are obtained. Bending is assumed to remain continuous on the bonded edge. The EKM procedure is modified by applying the coordinate of an arbitrary shared point in the boundary conditions for the shared edge, to relate the bending of the two plates. The ODEs are solved iteratively to obtain the deflection function in a fast convergence trend. Two examples of aluminium-steel plate and functionally graded material-steel plate are considered. The deflection results from the boundary modified EKM (BM-EKM) are in high agreement with the finite element solution results. The bending of stepped plates is a special case of the current study. The suggested BM-EKM strengthens the EKM’s ability for solving complex jointed/bonded structures in structural analyses.

     

Bending of corrugated thick rectangular plates

An approximate analytical solution describing the bending of hinged corrugated thick plates is obtained using the second variant of the boundary shape perturbation method and taking into account the first three approximations. The effect of the shape of the boundary surfaces in the zone of maximum external load on the magnitude and nonlinear variation of the displacements and stresses throughout the thickness of a corrugated thick plate depending on the corrugation amplitude and spatial frequency is analyzed. The results are compared to the exact solution for a flat plate     

Optimal design of vibrating rectangular plates

The thickness function of a simply supported rectangular plate is determined such that the fundamental natural frequency of transverse vibrations attains an optimum value. The volume of the solid plate, its size, and data pertaining to its material properties, are assumed to be given.The problem consists of determining the deflection function corresponding to the optimal plate thickness function from a non-linear, fourth order partial differential eigenvalue problem, derived by variational analysis.Second and higher order normal derivatives of the deflection function are singular along the boundary of the domain. This behaviour is investigated analytically, and taken into account in a finite difference formulation of the problem, which is solved numerically by successive iterations.     

Large deflection of rectangular sandwich plates

The governing differential equations and the boundary conditions for the large deflection of rectangular sandwich plates are derived using the principle of the complementary energy. The governing differential equations are transformed into systems of nonlinear algebraic equations using the finite difference method, and solved by successive iteration. For the purpose of illustration, deflection behavior of simply supported rectangular plates under uniform load is presented. The deflection behavior of plates with various values of shear rigidities and intensity of applied loads is studied. The change in the stress patterns of the face layers of the plate is also discussed.