This text presents a complete treatment of the theory and analysis of elastic plates. It provides detailed coverage of classic and shear deformation plate theories and their solutions by analytical as well as numerical methods for bending, buckling and natural vibrations. Analytical solutions are based on the Navier and Levy solution method, and numerical solutions are based on the Rayleigh-Ritz methods and finite element method. The author address a range of topics, including basic equations of elasticity, virtual work and energy principles, cylindrical bending of plates, rectangular plates and an introduction to the finite element method with applications to plates.

Because plates and shells are common structural elements in aerospace, automotive, and civil engineering structures, engineers must understand the behavior of such structures through the study of theory and analysis. Compiling this information into a single volume, Theory and Analysis of Elastic Plates and Shells, Second Edition presents a complete, up-to-date, and unified treatment of classical and shear deformation plates and shells, from the basic derivation of theories to analytical and numerical solutions. Revised and updated, this second edition incorporates new information in most chapters, along with some rearrangement of topics to improve the clarity of the overall presentation. The book presents new material on the theory and analysis of shells, featuring an additional chapter devoted to the topic. The author also includes new sections that address Castigliano's theorems, axisymmetric buckling of circular plates, the relationships between the solutions of classical and shear deformation theories, and the nonlinear finite element analysis of plates. The book provides many illustrations of theories, formulations, and solution methods, resulting in an easy-to-understand presentation of the topics. Like the previous edition, this book remains a suitable textbook for a course on plates and shells in aerospace, civil, and mechanical engineering curricula and continues to serve as a reference for industrial and academic structural engineers and scientists.

The study ofthree-dimensional continua has been a traditional part of graduate education in solid mechanics for some time. With rational simplifications to the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, the engineering theories of medium-thin plates and of thin shells may be derived and applied to a large class of engi neering structures distinguished by a characteristically small dimension in one direction. Often, these theories are developed somewhat independently due to their distinctive geometrical and load-resistance characteristics. On the other hand, the two systems share a common basis and might be unified under the classification of Surface Structures after the German term Fliichentragwerke. This common basis is fully exploited in this book. A substantial portion of many traditional approaches to this subject has been devoted to constructing classical and approximate solutions to the governing equations of the system in order to proceed with applications. Within the context of analytical, as opposed to numerical, approaches, the limited general ity of many such solutions has been a formidable obstacle to applications involving complex geometry, material properties, and/or loading. It is now relatively routine to obtain computer-based solutions to quite complicated situations. However, the choice of the proper problem to solve through the selection of the mathematical model remains a human rather than a machine task and requires a basis in the theory of the subject.

Presenting recent principles of thin plate and shell theories, this book emphasizes novel analytical and numerical methods for solving linear and nonlinear plate and shell dilemmas, new theories for the design and analysis of thin plate-shell structures, and real-world numerical solutions, mechanics, and plate and shell models for engineering appli

Plate and shell theories experienced a renaissance in recent years. The potentials of smart materials, the challenges of adaptive structures, the demands of thin-film technologies and more on the one hand and the availability of newly developed mathematical tools, the tremendous increase in computer facilities and the improvement of commercial software packages on the other caused a reanimation of the scientific interest. In the present book the contributions of the participants of the EUROMECH Colloquium 444 "Critical Review of the Theories of Plates and Shells and New Applications" have been collected. The aim was to discuss the common roots of different plate and shell approaches, to review the current state of the art, and to develop future lines of research. Contributions were written by scientists with civil and mechanical engineering as well as mathematical and physical background.

Over the past decade or so much has been written on the various attempts to produce efficient, accurate and reliable Mindlin plate finite elements. In the late sixties, a degenerated, Mindlin-type, curved shell element was developed and subsequently many improvements in such elements have been made. Reliability and efficiency in use has always been a major objective. Degenerated shell elements have enjoyed widespread popularity despite certain potential defects, including shear and membrane lock ing behaviour and spurious mechanisms. After introducing the basic foundations of Mindlin-type elements, this book describes these defects and also gives the reasons for their occurrence. Furthermore, the author proposes an approach to overcome these defects. A series of linear benchmark tests are proposed to illustrate the performance of the assumed strain element formulations. The formula tions and applications for material non-linearity are also presented. Both isotropic and anisotropic material models are included together with the results for both static and transient dynamic analyses. Two associated programs are fully documented and provided on floppy discs with test examples. Source codes for the two associated programs are provided: one is for static analysis and the other for dynamic analysis, and the programs can be compiled and run on either a mini or mainframe coniputer via a terminal. The author hopes that this book may provide further impetus in the important research area of plate and shell element technology.

The Mathematical Elasticity set contains three self-contained volumes that together provide the only modern treatise on elasticity. They introduce contemporary research on three-dimensional elasticity, the theory of plates, and the theory of shells. Each volume contains proofs, detailed surveys of all mathematical prerequisites, and many problems for teaching and self-study. An extended preface and extensive bibliography have been added to each volume to highlight the progress that has been made since the original publication. The first book, Three-Dimensional Elasticity, covers the modeling and mathematical analysis of nonlinear three-dimensional elasticity. In volume two, Theory of Plates, asymptotic methods provide a rigorous mathematical justification of the classical two-dimensional linear plate and shallow shell theories. The objective of Theory of Shells, the final volume, is to show how asymptotic methods provide a rigorous mathematical justification of the classical two-dimensional linear shell theories: membrane, generalized membrane, and flexural. These classic textbooks are for advanced undergraduates, first-year graduate students, and researchers in pure or applied mathematics or continuum mechanics. They are appropriate for courses in mathematical elasticity, theory of plates and shells, continuum mechanics, computational mechanics, and applied mathematics in general.