Nonlinear behavior of circular plates with work hardening
Tests were performed on two simply supported plates of aluminum alloy 2024-0, under a central concentrated load, with peak deflections up to 2.6 times the thickness. The load was provided by a small-diameter hard-steel rod. The plates had diameter-to-thickness ratios (D/h) of 20 and 41. Measurements were made of load, deflections and strains; membrane and bending strains were calculated from the test data. The test data are presented in comparison with theoretical predictions generated by the finite-element-computer code PLANS, which includes material and geometric nonlinearities. The theoretical prediction was excellent for deflections, and generally good for strains, when the central force was represented by a line load around the loading rod's contact circle.