Compound Strip Method for Analysis of Plate Systems

Abstract

A finite strip method (FSM) is developed for the analysis of linear elastic flat plate systems that are continuous over, deflecting supports. The approach presented incorporates the effect of the support elements in a direct stiffness methodology. The stiffness contribution of the support elements have been derived and are given in the form of strip matrices, which are directly added to the plate strip stiffness matrix at the element level. This summation of plate and support stiffness contributions constitutes a substructure, which is termed a compound strip. The validity of the compound strip method is demonstrated in several illustrative problems, which include single and multipanel plates continuous over flexible and rigid beams and columns. The FSM and finite element method (FEM) compare favorably for displacement and moment.