Assessing the dead loads effect on the dynamic behavior of plates by using finite elements method

Abstract EN

In this research, a rectangular plate element for the finite elements method, which takes into consideration the effect of dead loads, is proposed.

The element stiffness matrix that includes the effect of dead loads is derived.

It is shown that the stiffness of plate increases when the effect of dead loads is included in the calculations.

The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by numerical example and the results show a good agreement when compared with that obtained from the closed-form solutions.

The proposed method based on a finite elements formulation is more easily applied to plate’s structures under different support conditions and various types of dead loads.