Nondimensional Analysis of Thin Circular Plates: Strain Energy Approach

The circular plates in the form of concrete or metal slabs are frequently placed on the foundation soil to support the structural loads in civil engineering applications. The analysis of circular plates for determining the deflection of the plates has been a challenging task for the engineers and research workers. For analysis purpose, the foundation soil can be represented by mechanical models such as Winkler model, Pasternak model or Kerr model. In the past the circular plates on the Winkler and Pasternak foundation models have been analyzed by many research workers using various analytical and numerical techniques. The analysis by strain energy approach has been used for the analysis of the circular plates resting on Winkler foundation but this approach has not been reported for the analysis of the circular plates resting on Pasternak foundation which is a two-parameter foundation model.The present effort is for the deflection of the thin circular plate resting on the Pasternak foundation model subjected to a concentrated load by strain energy approach.