Influence of the external loading conditions on the hydroelastic response of floating elastic plates

Based on the dynamical theories of water waves and Mindlin thick plates, the dynamical behaviors of the steady forced oscillations of floating elastic plates acted upon by a localized external load (periodic load) are presented using the Wiener-Hopf technique. Firstly, the results obtained from the present method are compared both with the calculations from others, and those are discussed. Secondly, the distributions of deflection and the bending moment in plates under different periodic loading are investigated. Finally, for the cases of different external periodic loads, the effects of the position of the load center and the width of load application on the distributions of deflection in plates are analyzed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.