Exact solutions for axisymmetric bending of continuous annular plates

This paper is concerned with obtaining exact solutions for the axisymmetric bending problem of elastic annular plates with internal concentric supports. The standard stiffness method of analysis is employed to solve the problems. The solutions can be obtained either numerically or in closed-form. Both thin and thick plates can be handled. For the thick plate analysis, the Mindlin plate theory has been adopted to cater for the effect of transverse shear deformation. Relationships between Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate solutions have been used to derive the stiffness matrix of thick plates. Present solutions are compared with published results for some representative annular plate bending problems to demonstrate their validity. Exact solutions for displacement, shear force and bending moment for an annular plate with an internal concentric support are presented. Numerical results showing the influence of transverse shear deformation on edge displacement under a concentric ring load applied at the free inner edge of a free/continuous support/fixed plate are also presented