Unbonded Contact of a Square Plate on an Elastic Half-Space or a Winkler Foundation

Abstract

The unbonded frictionless receding contact problem of a thin plate placed under centrally symmetric vertical loading while resting on an elastic half-space or a Winkler foundation is solved in this paper. The problem is transformed into the solution of two-coupled integral-series equations over an unknown contact region. The problem is nonlinear by virtue of unilateral contact and therefore needs to be solved iteratively. Special attention is given to the edge and corner contact pressure singularities for the plate on the elastic half-space. Comparison is made with other relevant numerical results available.