On the lift-off constant for elastically supported plates

In this paper we continue the study begun by Kawohl and Sweers of the precise constant at which the elastic foundation supporting a bending plate can allow lift-off in the case of downward loading. We provide a number of numerical results and a rigorous result on a different counterexample than the one suggested in Kawohl and Sweers (2002). Important open problems are summarized at the conclusion.