Asymptotic expansions for large elastic strain of a circular plate (Q1819987)

A WKB-type asymptotic solution is developed for the equations governing large elastic deformation of a clamped circular plate under uniform pressure. The analysis, which neglects transverse shear strains, includes large displacements, rotations, and normal strains for a plate composed of a Mooney material. With the plate interior dominated by nonlinear membrane action, the results indicate the existence of two types of edge boundary layers: a membrane-type layer, which develops a strains grow large, is contained within a wider, bending-type boundary layer. Results indicate a strong interaction between bending and stretching in the edge zone.