ABSTRACT
A modified energy expression has been suggested for the analysis of large deflections of thin plates. A new set of differential equations, obtained in a decoupled form has been tested for a circular and a square plate with immovable as well as movable edge conditions under a uniform load. These new equations removed the initial discrepancy of Berger’s assumption and gave meaningful results for movable edge condition. The results obtained are in excellent agreement with other available results. The new method is further extended to the case of thermal loading and dynamic loading. The problem of circular plate with concentrated load at the centre has also been tested. The solution for other types of loading and for other types of plates can be similarly dealt with.
