Application of a Robust Subgrade Model in the Analysis of Plates on an Elastic Foundation

Abstract

A robust two-parameter subgrade model presented recently by the first author is employed to analyze plates on elastic foundations. A finite difference method (FDM) is employed to solve the resulting differential equation of the plate–soil system. The proposed method is verified using the finite element (FE) software, PLAXIS. The performance of the subgrade model employed is compared with other existing simplified subgrade models and with PLAXIS itself over a wide range of cases. The results show that the proposed model performs better than the models it was compared with and can be easily adjusted to yield results in good agreement with the FE outputs over the majority of the plate area. It is demonstrated that the model is simple to use and capable of predicting the plate response by fully accounting for the shear resistance of the subgrade missing in other analytical models. The model parameters are fully defined and availed to users. The work demonstrates that the model is promising for the routine and quick analysis of plates without the need to employ FE techniques to discretize the foundation soil.