Ribless Folded Plates

An analytical solution for the interior panel of a multiple span, multiple bay ribless prismatic shell is presented. The approach to the problem entails a two-step procedure. First, the load is assumed to be applied to a panel with continuous supports along the longitudinal edges. The vertical reaction along the assumed continuous supports is next transferred to the columns by the application of a corrective edge line load along the longitudinal edges of the panel. In view of the extensive computation entailed in the analysis, the solutions were programmed for a high speed electronic computer. Loads of arbitrary distribution in the transverse direction but uniform in the longitudinal direction are considered. Special cases of dead load and uniform live load are treated in detail. The effects of the different shell parameters on the stress resultants and the displacements were studied.