SOME REMARKS ON THE WEDGE PARADOX AND SAINT-VENANTS PRINCIPLE

The solutions for the wedge loaded by a concentrated couple al ifs ver tex, known as the Carothers-Sternberg-Koiter problem, are examined cri tically. The cause of the divergence are terms which are fundamental s elf-equilibrated solutions with unbounded energy arising from the eige nvalues of the wedge and with exponent depending on the angle. The ''p aradox'' occurs al the angle at which the term of the (angle-independe nt exponent) r(-2) stress singularity is superseded by the next eigenv alue. These terms are conjectured to be the weight functions of the we dge. The breaking down of St. Venant's principle for the wedge in conn ection with these terms is also demonstrated. As for the definition of a concentrated couple, it can only exist if the limiting solutions ar e independent of the path of loading (stable node);for wedge angles bi gger than a half-space, they depend on the path of loading and the loa dings that give path independence are characterized.