Equilibrium of elastic rectangle: Mathieu-Inglis-Pickett solution revisited (Q1910623)

This paper addresses a general analytical method for investigating the two-dimensional distributions of stresses set up in a rectangular plate by a load applied along its sides in any arbitrary manner. Proposed independently by Mathieu (1890), Inglis (1921) and Pickett (1944), and later named the `superposition method', it has been applied with success to the study of distribution of stresses inside a rectangle. The object of this paper is to prove the advantages of that approach when studying a stress field near the boundaries, including specific cases of discontinuous and concentrated normal and shear loadings. The method is illustrated by several numerical examples.