Elastic analysis and application tables of rectangular plates with unilateral contact support conditions

In the present study, a numerical methodology for the elastic analysis of single plates is presented, which takes into account any unilateral support conditions (uplift potential) that can occur in one or more supporting boundaries. The plates are discretized with a fine mesh of finite elements and the unilateral support conditions are simulated through proper link elements, while the determination of the uplifted regions of the plates is part of the problemʹs solution. A parametric study is then carried out for rectangular edge-supported plates for various combinations of support conditions and aspect ratios. From the processing of the results of this analysis, proper application tables for the calculation of stress state of the plates were created, in a form similar to the well-known tables compiled by Czerny.