An Energy Method Applied to Large Elastic Deflection of a Thin Plate of Bimodulus Material

Abstract

Some composite materials and high-polymers are known to behave differently in simple tension and compression under static loads. The present paper is concerned with a method of analysis of the bending of bimodulus elastic plates employing Ambartsumyan-Khachatryan's model for isotropic bimodulus materials. This problem may be reduced to the conventional problem of minimizing the potential energy of the plate as a whole. A simply supported thin square plate subjected to lateral load is analyzed numerically by a simplex method. Results of the calculation show that the effect of the difference between the tensile and compressive elastic moduli on the deformation of the plate may be substantial