Contact Between Plates and Unilateral Supports

The tendency of a laterally loaded, unilaterally constrained, rectangular plate to separate from its simple supports motivates one to consider the actual extent of contact. In the case of a square plate, an appropriately chosen finite integral transform converts the dual series equations that result from the Levy-Nadai approach to one singular integral equation which can be solved by standard methods. Being a receding contact problem, the extent of contact depends on the geometry and elastic properties of the plate only. The support reactions are integrated to confirm that total equilibrium is obtained using classical plate theory.