NONPROBABILISTIC MODELING AND DESIGN OF SANDWICH PLATES SUBJECT TO UNCERTAIN LOADS AND INITIAL DEFLECTIONS

Analysis and design of simply supported sandwich plates are given unde r uncertain loading and initial conditions by means of convex modellin g. The transverse load and initial conditions are allowed to vary arbi trarily around their average values, but the uncertain components of t hese functions are required to be bounded in L(2) norm and expressed u sing a finite number of terms. The effect of uncertainties in loading and initial conditions on bending and design are investigated and the least favourable deflections and the corresponding uncertainty functio ns are determined. The design problem involves the computation of the minimum thickness of the surface layers such that the least favourable deflection does not exceed a given bound under a specified level of u ncertainty in loading and/or initial conditions. Design for minimum th ickness is given subject to buckling and material failure constraints.