force dispersion on a flat plate

[Klikoos]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if someone could give me insight in how for example, a force plate disperses a point load at its centre that is perpendicular to its surface. Multiple factors come into play like stiffness, thickness, strain but so far I cannot find literature that goes into detail.

Does anybody know some formulas that show the relation between thickness versus area or other factors?

Cheers,
Alex

 

[JStephen]

I've not heard the term "force plate" used. But for concentrated loading on a flat plate, see article 19, article 35, or article 59 in Timoshenko's "Theory of Plates and Shells". If you're interested in what happens exactly at the point of load application, that's going to depend on the exact nature of the loading at that point, and won't be covered by the theory. Stress out away from that point is.

 

[StrEng007]

"Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain" also provides a discussion on flat plates and some handy formulas for calculation. This might help you find what you're looking for.

 

[JLNJ]

It depends heavily on how the plate is supported, such as if it's sitting on concrete, dirt, or if it's just supported on its perimeter.

 

[Klikoos]

@JStephen Sorry, meant to say reinforcement dunno why I just typed force haha. Thanks for the help everyone.