The problem of the bending of a beam lying on an elastic base

The plane contact problem of the transmission of a normal force of specified strength onto an elastic anisotropic, wedge-shaped plate by an elastic beam of variable flexural stiffness is considered. The beam is coupled to one of the edges of the plate and its other edge is stress-free. The solution of the problem is obtained in closed form by reducing it to a Karleman boundary-value problem with shear for a strip. A conclusion is reached concerning the nature of the discontinuity of the normal contact stress at the vertex of the wedge. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.