Studies on plates and shells on elastic foundations using a physically continuous spring model

The classical Winkler model is made up of an infinite number of elastic, independent springs, which in its discretised form consists of individual springs connected at the nodal points of the structure. Among the attempts made to account for the continuity of the soil medium, the most recent one is the 'welded spring model' which is a physical model in which contiguously placed independent springs are welded at their common points of contact It is a numerical model implemented in the finite element code. In this model, the percentage of number of points welded over the total, is made to reflect the continuity of the soil medium. The welded spring model has been used to study square and circular plates and conical shell on elastic foundations. The results of the analysis using this model have been compared with the 'continuum analysis' of the same systems in which the soil is modelled as an elastic continuum. The welded spring model used here has been implemented in the MSC.Patran and MSC.Nastran software.