Analysis of thin plates on elastic foundations with boundary element method

Abstract

An alternative Integral Equation Formulation to deal with thin plates on elastic foundations is developed. The field equation is decomposed into two equations in partial derivatives of second order, which are formulated in an integral form by application of a reciprocity theorem. In this way, no divergent integrals appear in the formulation and the auxiliary function is the fundamental solution of Laplace equation. The domain integrals are transformed into equivalent boundary integrals, although in general it is necessary to introduce some internal points. Two examples will be studied to prove the efficiency of the formulation proposed.