Nonlinear behavior of cylinder-plate junction on tensionless elastic subgrade

Abstract

The problem of a cylinder-plate junction resting on tensionless elastic subgrade and subjected to point load and point moment that act at the top edge of the cylinder is investigated. An energy minimization technique is utilized to analyze the plate subgrade system. A displacement function for the plate is assumed in terms of generalized Bassel functions in the radial direction and Fourier series in the angular direction. The solution for a thin circular cylinder is obtained according to the equations derived by Flugge for this problem. The solution of the cylinder-plate junction is accomplished by achieving the continuity conditions at the cylinder-plate interface for the displacements and the edge forces. A computer program is developed to solve the problem iteratively, but efficiently, to predict the nonlinear behavior produced by the loss of contact between the plate and the unbound subgrade. Numerical results will be presented to show the validity and accuracy of the utilized approach.