Folded Plate Structures by Finite Strip Method

Prismatic folded plates are analyzed by the finite strip method. A plate strip with appropriate end conditions is used as an element and by assuming suitable displacement functions a stiffness matrix can be developed and the folded plate can then be solved in the same way as structural frames. The overall stiffness matrix usually has a very narrow band width and all the computations can be done in core. The solution yields directly the values of all the in-plane stresses, bending and twisting moments, and displacements at the joints. The method is simple but versatile, and gives very accurate results.