Initial-value analysis of continuous orthotropic plates (Q1094933)

The study presents a numerical procedure called the initial-value method to analyze continuous orthotropic plates. The method consists of integrating in one direction and using finite difference expressions for the other direction. The procedure of the initial-value method is discussed in detail. The method has proven its efficiency in the analysis of single-span beams and plates. The convergence of the method is discussed in a few examples. The effects of changing the number of elements in each direction on the percentage error and computation time are shown. Several examples are presented to compare this method with other approximate methods. Deflections and moments are presented in tabular form for various aspect ratios and degrees of orthotropy for two cases of continuous plates.