EXAMPLE 3.1 Determine the deflection and stress in a very long and narrow rectangular plate if itis simply supported at edges y = 0 and y = b (Figure 3.9). (a) The plate carries a nonuniform loading expressed by PY)= Py sin a) where the constant ps represents the load intensity along the line passing through y= b/2, parallel to the x axis. (b) The plate is under a uniform load py. Let py = 10 kPa, b=0.4 m, t= 10 mm, v= 1/3, and E = 200 GPa. SOLUTION Clearly, the loading described deforms the plate into a cylindrical surface possess- ing its generating line parallel to the x axis: The slope of the deflected plate along the x axis is zero, We thus have dw / Ax= 0. It follows that aw /axdy=0, and Equations 3.9 yield (3.33) Equation 3.17 reduces to (3.34) This expression is of the same form as the beam equation. Hence, the solution proceeds as in the case of a beam. Note that since the bent plate surface is of developable type and the edges are free to move horizontally, the formulas derived in this example also hold for large deflections (w > # but w <6). Figure 3.9 Simply supported plate stri(a) Substituting Equation a into Equation 3.34, integrating successively four times, and satisfying the boundary conditions (w = 0 and d'w/ dy? =0 aty = 0 and y=), we have w=(2) Point, 3.35) na} D b The maximum stresses in the plate are obtained by substituting the above with v= 1/3 into Equations 3.11, 3.31, and 3.32: Wee 02p,/ | Gy yax = 0.6 of t, um =05 (2) (z=0, y=0). ( To gauge the magnitude of the deviation between the stress components, consider the ratios Hf, for example, 6 = 20t, the above quotients are only 3 and 4, respectively. For a thin plate, ¢/b< +, and it is clear that stresses o, and t,, are very small com- pared with the normal stress components in the xy plane. b) Now Equation 3.34 with p = py, on successively integrating four times and satisfying w= O and d?w/ dy? = 0 aty =O and y=b, yields (3.36) This represents the deflection of a uniformly loaded and simply supported plate strip parallel to the y axis. The maximum deflection of the plate is found by substituting y = b/2 in Equation 3.36, yielding Wy, =5p.b' /384D. The largest moment and stress also occur at y = b/2, in the direction of the shorter span b. These are readily calculated (by means of Equations 3.36, 3.9, and 3.11) as pob,/8 and 3p,b,/42 respectively. It is observed that for very long and narrow plates, the supports along the short sides have little effect on the action in the plate, and hence the plate behaves as would a simple beam of span b.Introducing the given numerical values into Equation 3.10, 200(10° 0.01)? D: = 18,750. 12( Similarly, Si 5pyb* _ 5(10x10?0.4)* 384 384(18,750) sagt . o =3PH sont yma 10 Interestingly, Hooke’s law, with o, = 0, gives rae worl"? 5S} = 53 - 200(10") and, from Equation 3.3b, the radius of curvature is 0.01 5 Wea ON ™ Thus, W,..,/¢= 0.018 and 5, /b= 236. These results show that the deflection curve is extremely flat, as is usually the case for small deformations. EXAMPLE 3.2 A circular plate, clamped at the edge, is under a uniform pressure of intensity p> (Figure 3.10). Derive an expression for the surface deflection. SOLUTION The equation of the boundary of the plate is et Heo: & a The conditions for the edge aw _aw ee (r=a) © are satisfied by taking the deflection w in the form (dFigure 3.10 Circular plate under uniform pressure, Here k represents an unknown constant. Note that Equation d and its first deriva- tives with respect to x and y become zero at the boundary by virtue of Equation b. The fourth derivatives of w are awk dw gk aw ox* a oxy a ay* Substitution of these into Equation 3.17 leads to (ras 16424) = 2 a D or © The deflection is thus 4 ze moat x? y? ea ge ae (3.37) The moments and the stresses corresponding to Equation 3.37 are derived from Equations 3.9 and 3.7, respectively. Similarly, the deflection of a uniformly loaded elliptical plate with clamped edge is readily derived (see Section 6.4). However, the circular plate problems are usually treated by employing polar coordinates, as will be illustrated in Chapter 4.EXAMPLE 3.3 Determine the displacement of a rectangular plate with free edges of lengths a and b and subjected to transverse corner forces of magnitude P, as shown in Figure 3.11. SOLUTION The plate is free from surface loading, and hence p = 0. The boundary conditions are represented by M,=0 V,=0 (x=s4.7) ve © M=0 V=0 [xv= Inasmuch as the center of the plate is free of displacement, we may assume the deflection w in the form weeny. ® where c; is a constant. It is readily shown that Equations 3.18 and f are fulfilled by this expression. On the basis of Equations 3.24, 3.9, and g the comer conditions, F.=-2M,, lead to P=2D{I-v, or c,=P/ 2D(1-v), Substituting this value of c, into Equation g, the surface deflection is found to be P wy, 3.38) we 2bi1-v) The comer displacements are then ae (3.39) 8Da-7) Here the negative sign indicates an upward direction. Figure 3.11 Rectangular plate subjected to corner loads.EXAMPLE 3.4 A rectangular bulkhead of an elevator shaft is subjected to uniformly distributed bending moments M, = M, and M, = M,, applied along its edges (Figure 3.12a). Derive the equation governing the surface deflection for two cases: (a) M, #M,, (b) M, =-M,. SOLUTION (a) We have positive edge moments applied to the plate (Figure 3.12a), Substituting M, =/M, and M, = M, into Equations 3.9 gives h Integrating the above leads to MoM visexsey ee 2-7)" M,- uM, 2DI=7) If the origin of xyz is located at the center and midsurface of the deformed plate, the constants of integration vanish, and we have (3.40) (b) Now y-edges are subjected to negative moments -M,. Thus, by letting M,=—M, in Equations h, the result is im _ ax? Dil-v) wa Figure 3.12 A large rectangular plate in pure bending.This reveals that there is a saddle point 0 at the center of the plate (Figure 3.12b). Integrating and locating the origin xyz as before, Equation i leads to = BS ptt 3.41) 2pa-1)* ~Y It is clear that the above expression represents an anticlastic or saddle-shaped surface with a negative Gaussian curvature. We note that in the particular case where M, = M,, Equation 3.40 yields a paraboloid of revolution (see Problem 3.18).