Semi-Analytical Benchmarck Solutions of Thick Plates in Bending

Abstract

The modified Rayleigh-Ritz method (pb-2) is applied to obtain solutions for moderately thick plates under transverse constant load. Using Mindlin’s plate theory, a semi-analytical approach is used to generate displacement solutions for several boundary conditions. A convergence study is presented to validate the results, which are discussed and compared with similar solutions from literature. The method can be used to generate new benchmark solutions for validation and practical applications.