The simplified prediction of deformations of a rigid plate supported by an elastic half space is

considered first including the shape of the rectangular plate. In a second step, an indication is
given how to replace a flexible plate by an equivalent rigid plate. In the last step, assumptions
are made about the effect of the size of the block to the deformations under the plate for
practical base plates.
The deformation of a rectangular rigid plate in equivalent half space solved by different
authors is given in simplified form by Lambe & Whitman, 1967 as

r =

ar

E c Ar

(2.1.6)

where

r
F
ar
Ec
Ar
L

is the deformation under a rigid plate,

the applied compressed force,
the width of the rigid plate,
the Young's modulus of concrete,
the area of the plate, Ar = a r L ,
the length of the plate,
a factor dependent on ratio between L and ar .

The value of factor depends on the Poison's ratio of the compressed material, see in
Table 2.1.1, for concrete ( 0,15). The approximation of this values as 0 ,85

L / ar

can be read from the following Table 2.1.1.

Table 2.1.1 Factor and its approximation
L / ar

according to
(Lambe and Whitman, 1967)

1
1,5
2
3
5
10

0,90
1,10
1,25
1,47
1,76
2,17

Approximation as

0 ,85

L / ar

0,85
1,04
1,20
1,47
1,90
2,69

With the approximation for , the formula for the displacement under the plate can be
rewritten

2.6