Stress analysis of orthotropic plate on elastic foundation with transverse point load

An infinite orthotropic plate on an elastic foundation subjected to a transverse point load is studied. A three-dimensional stress distribution in the vicinity of the applied load is sought without considering the friction between the plate and the foundation. Based on the assumption of a uniform stress distribution for the applied load, a double Fourier transform technique is employed to solve the problem in the transform domain. The Gaussian integration scheme is used to carry out the inverse transformation to obtain the real stress components. Symmetry of the transform response due to the material orthotropy has been used to reduce the effort involved in performing the integation. The distribution of various stress components around the point of load application is presented for a typical orthotropic layer. A comparison of the stress distribution for orthotropic and nearly isotropic material is also presented.