Indentation of a Rigid Body into an Elastic Plate

The problem of a punch shaped like an elliptic paraboloid pressed into an elastic plate is studied under the assumption that the contact region is small. The action of the punch on the plate is modeled by point forces and moments. The method of joined asymptotic expansions is used to formulate the problem of one–sided contact for the internal asymptotic representation; the problem is solved with the use of the results obtained by L. A. Galin. The coordinates of the center of the elliptic contact region, its dimensions, and the angle of rotation are determined. The moments which ensure translational indentation of the punch are calculated and an equation that relates displacements of the punch to the force acting on it is given.