Kirchhoff and thomson-tait transformations in the classical theory of plates

Abstract

The transformation of the torque into the transverse force is considered; this transformation is traditional in the educational literature [1] and was proposed by Kirchhoff [2] and Thomson and Tait [3] to match the order of the differential equation of the classical theory of plates with the number of boundary conditions. It is shown that this transformation is not universal and its mathematical and physical justification depends on the conditions of the plate fixation and loading. It is shown that this justification is absent for the most widely used problems of bending of a rectangular plate freely supported and fixed on the contour.