A Semi-Analytical Finite Strip for the Analysis of Folded Plates

Abstract

In the conventional semi-analytical finite strip analysis of folded plates, the boundary conditions and the intermediate support conditions must be satisfieda priori. The admissible functions used as the longitudinal part of the displacement functions are sometimes difficult to find, and they are valid for specific conditions only. In this paper, a general semi-analytical finite strip is developed for the analysis of folded plate structures. The geometric constraints of the folded plates, such as the conditions at the end and intermediate supports, are modelled by very stiff translational and rotational springs, as appropriate. The complete Fourier series including the constant term are chosen as the longitudinal approximating functions for each of the displacements. As these displacement functions are more general in nature and independent of one another, they are capable of giving more accurate solutions. The potential problem of ill-conditioned matrices is investigated and the appropriate choice of the very stiff springs is also suggested. The formulation is done in such a way to obtain a unified approach, taking full advantage of the power of modern computers. Numerical examples are presented for comparison with numerical results from published solutions or solutions obtained from the finite element method. The results show that this kind of strips is versatile, efficient and accurate for the analysis of folded plates.