Dynamic response of a flexible plate on saturated soil layer

An analytical approach is developed to study the dynamic response of a flexible plate on single-layered saturated soil. The analysis is based on Biot's two-phased theory of poroelasticity and also on the classical thin-plate theory. First, the governing differential equations for saturated soil are solved by the use of Hankel transform. The general solutions of the skeleton displacements, stresses, and pore pressures, derived in the transformed domain, are subsequently incorporated into the imposed boundary conditions, which leads to a set of dual integral equations describing the corresponding mixed boundary value problem. These governing integral equations are finally reduced to the Fredholm integral equations of the second kind and solved by standard numerical procedures. The accuracy of the present solution is validated via comparisons with existing solutions for an ideal elastic half-space. Furthermore, some numerical results are presented to show the influences of the layer depth, the plate flexibility, and the soil porosity on the dynamic compliances.