International Applied Mechanics, Vol. 43, No.

6, 2007

A NUMERICAL METHOD FOR CLAMPED THIN RECTANGULAR PLATES CARRYING

A UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED LOAD

C. E. Imrak and I. Gerdemeli UDK 539.3

A numerical method for clamped thin rectangular plates carrying a uniformly distributed load and the
exact solution of the governing equations are given. The solution is presented in a simple form suitable
for direct practical use. The method is a very simple and practical approach. The results are compared
with those reported in the previous papers

Keywords: rectangular plate, clamped plate, distributed load, deflection

Introduction. The problem of deflection of a clamped rectangular plate under a uniformly distributed load is of great
importance in engineering practice. There are some approximate numerical solutions to this problem, and efforts are still made to
solve it. The problem of bending of a clamped (at all four edges) rectangular plate under a uniformly distributed load has been
frequently discussed in recent literature. Many authors calculated the deflections of uniformly loaded rectangular plates with
clamped edges using different methods [1–18]. Some of these methods are approximate.
Exact solutions were found for a rectangular plate clamped at four edges and subjected to a uniformly distributed load. It
is very important, for many reasons, to examine the exact solution of the governing equation for a plate. This would provide a
standard for checking the accuracy of approximate methods, which may be empirical or numerical. Although computer
techniques make the complete numerical integration of such a governing equation feasible, the accuracy of results can be
assessed by comparing them with the exact solution. With approximate methods, it is possible to calculate deflections but not
moments. Two main methods were used to obtain the solution for the maximum deflection of a clamped rectangular plate under a
uniformly distributed load: Ritz’s energy method and the superposition method proposed in [11] as a generalization of Hencky’s
solution.
After the first numerical results on stresses and deflections in clamped rectangular plates had been obtained in [1],
progress was made by Hencky [2] and Boobnoff [3]. They independently solved the problem for a uniformly loaded rectangular
plate with four clamped edges. Hencky performed refined calculations for a square plate alone, while Boobnoff carried out
precise calculations for various rectangular plates. Hencky’s method is known to converge quickly but it poses some slightly
tricky programming issues regarding over/underflow in the evaluation of hyperbolic trigonometric functions with large
arguments. Boobnoff tabulated the values of deflections and moments in uniformly loaded rectangular plates with clamped
edges.
Though these methods are approximate in rigorous mathematical sense, practically results may be obtained to any
desired accuracy by retaining a sufficient number of terms in the infinite series of two simultaneous equations that occur in these
methods. They consist in application of deflection functions that satisfy the boundary conditions and do not satisfy the governing
equations.
Hutchinson used the solution form presented in [1] and tabulated deflections and bending moments for uniformly
loaded rectangular plates. It can be difficult to obtain numerical values of deflections for a rectangular plate. The solution can be
obtained by combining the known solution for a simply supported plate under a uniform load with that for a plate bent by
moments distributed along the pairs of opposite edges [3]. Evans calculated the central deflections and maximum moments for

Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. Published in Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 126–143, June 2007.
Original article submitted March 7, 2006.

1063-7095/07/4306-0701 ©2007 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 701

 q
b/2
O x

b/2
a/2 a/2
y

Fig. 1

different aspect ratios. Calculating the maximum deflections for a rectangular plate under a uniform load is difficult. The method
presented here is much simpler and more practical.
This paper presents a numerical method for dealing with uniformly loaded rectangular plates with clamped edges. All
calculations are performed for rectangular plates of uniform thickness. The application of the method is illustrated in terms of
aspect ratios. The results are compared with those obtained by similar numerical techniques. Reasonable agreement between
them is found. A method for obtaining such solutions and the values of deflections for an isotropic plate with Poisson’s ratio
n = 0.3 and different aspect ratios n / m are presented.
Basic Equations. The classical theory of plate bending considers deflections small compared with the thickness of the
plate. The deflections of a uniformly loaded rectangular plate are symmetric about the coordinate axes as shown in Fig. 1. Let
m ³ n.
Small deflections of a rectangular plate under a uniform load are described by the governing equation

¶4w ¶4w ¶4w q

+2 + = , (1)
¶x 4 ¶x 2 ¶y 2 ¶y 4 Eh 3 / 12(1- n 2 )

where w is the small deflection of the plate in the normal direction, q is the intensity of the uniform load distributed over the upper
surface of the plate, E is Young’s modulus, n is Poisson’s ratio, and h is the plate thickness. Let us consider the problem of
deflection of a rectangular plate with all edges clamped under a uniform load.
The solution of Eq. (1) was obtained in [1] by combining the known solution for a simply supported plate under uniform
loading with the solution for a plate bent by moments distributed along the pairs of opposite sides. The combination of these two
solutions satisfies all the conditions at the clamped edges. The mathematical aspects of the method are complicated, and it was
shown in [4] that there are some difficulties in calculating the deflections. The method presented in this paper is capable of
producing the same results as other methods and is easier and more efficient.
Let us consider the problem of deflection of a clamped rectangular plate under a uniform load. Its sides are at x = ± m and
y = + n. The boundary conditions are w = 0and ¶w / ¶n = 0on all clamped edges. Denote by D the constant stiffness of the plate,

Eh 3
D= . (2)
12(1- n 2 )

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