Software Verification

PROGRAM NAME: SAP2000

REVISION NO.: 0

EXAMPLE 2-012
SHELL – PLATE BENDING WHEN SHEAR DEFORMATIONS ARE SIGNIFICANT

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
This example is the example shown on page 376 in Roark and Young 1975. It is
an annular plate with an inner radius of 1.4 inches, an outer radius of 2 inches
and a thickness of 0.5 inch. The plate is simply supported at the inner edge and is
loaded with a circular line load at a radius of 1.8 inches. The deflection at the
free outer edge is compared with results published in Roark and Young 1975.

The results published in Roark and Young 1975 give both the bending and the
shear contribution to the edge deflection. Three models are created for the
example. The first model (Example 2-012a-thin) uses the thin plate option for the
shell elements. Because the thin plate formulation does not include the effects of
shear deformations, the results of the thin plate model are expected to compare
with the published bending deflection.

The second model (Example 2-012a-thick) uses the thick plate option. Because
the thick plate formulation does include the effects of shear deformations, the
results of the thick plate model are expected to compare with the sum of the
published bending and shear deflections.

The third model (Example 2-012b-thick) again uses the thick plate option but
includes area object shear stiffness modifiers v13 = 1,000 and v23 = 1,000. Those
stiffness modifiers make the shell element 1,000 times stiffer in shear and thus
make the shear deflection negligible. The results of the thick plate model with
shear stiffness modifiers are expected to compare with the published bending
deflection.

The annular plate is meshed 6x96 (radial by tangential).

The circular line load is applied as a distributed load to dummy frame elements.
All of the property modifiers for the dummy frame elements are set equal to zero.
Thus, the dummy frame elements have no stiffness.

EXAMPLE 2-012 - 1
 Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAP2000
REVISION NO.: 0

GEOMETRY, PROPERTIES AND LOADING

Material Properties Y 0.5 inch thick annular plate, simply

E = 18,000,000 lb/in2 supported around inner edge, free
ν = 0.3 around outer edge, with a 6 x 96
G = 6,923,077 lb/in2 mesh (radial by tangential)

800 lb/in line load

shown dashed

In n
"
1.8

er
rad
d=

Ou t

ius
loa

=
er r

1 .4
e
lin

"
adiu
to
ius

s=
d
Ra

2"

EXAMPLE 2-012 - 2
 Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAP2000
REVISION NO.: 0

TECHNICAL FEATURES OF SAP2000 TESTED

 Plate bending analysis of shell elements when shear deformations are
significant
 Area object stiffness modifiers
 Frame distributed loads

RESULTS COMPARISON
The independent results are published in the example on page 376 in Roark and
Young 1975. The published bending deflection is -0.00521 inch, the published
shear deflection is -0.000125 inch and the published combined shear and bending
deflection is -0.00534 inch.

Output Percent
Model Parameter SAP2000 Independent Difference
Uz at outer edge
A Bending
-0.00522 -0.00521 +0.2%
Thin plate Deflection
in
Uz at outer edge
A Bending plus
-0.00534 -0.00534 0%
Thick plate Shear Deflection
in
B Uz at outer edge
Thick plate Bending
with shear -0.00521 -0.00521 0%
Deflection
stiffness
modifiers in

EXAMPLE 2-012 - 3
 Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAP2000
REVISION NO.: 0

COMPUTER FILES: Example 2-012a-thick, Example 2-012a-thin;

Example 2-012b-thick

CONCLUSION
The SAP2000 results show an acceptable comparison with the independent result
for the thin plate option and an exact comparison with the independent results for
the thick plate option.

EXAMPLE 2-012 - 4