Buckling of continuously supported hinged beams
The effect on the buckling load of a hinge at the center of an infinite beam supported by a semiinfinite elastic continuum is analyzed using the complex Fourier transforms. An expression is obtained for the relationship between the surface deflection of the elastic continuum and the pressure distribution acting on the surface, and solutions are obtained for the assumed form of the pressure distribution below the beam. The analysis is applied to cases of uniform pressure over the width of the beam and a pressure distribution that occurs below a rigid stamp. The results show that the buckling loads for an infinite beam with a hinge at the center and supported by a semiinfinite elastic continuum are approximately one half of those for a beam without a hinge, and that this ratio is exactly one half for an infinite beam resting on a Winkler foundation.