Nonlinear Theory for Flexural Motions of Thin Elastic Plate, Part 3: Numerical Evaluation of Boundary Layer Solutions

The boundary layer solutions previoulsy obtained in Part 2 of this series for the cases of the built-in edge and the free edge are evaluated numerically. For the built-in edge, a characteristic penetration depth of the boundary layer toward the interior region is given by 0.13 εh, εh being the normalized thickness of the plate, while for the free edge, it is given by 0.32 εh. Thus the boundary layer for the free edge penetrates more deeply toward the interior region than that for the built-in edge. The first-order stress distribution in each boundary layer is displayed. For the built-in edge, the stress singularity appears on the edge. It is shown that, in the boundary layer, the shearing and normal stresses become comparable with the bending stresses. Similarly for the free edge, the shearing stress also becomes comparable with the twisting stress. It should be remarked that, in the boundary layer, the shearing or the normal stress plays a primarily important role as the bending or the twisting stress. But the former decays toward the interior region and remains higher order than the latter. Finally owing to these numerical results, the coefficients involved in the “reduced” boundary conditions for the built-in edge are evaluated for the various plausible values of Poisson’s ratio.