Dynamic behaviour of rigid foundations of arbitrary shape on a halfspace

An approximate method for computation of the compliance functions of rigid plates resting on an elastic or visco-elastic halfspace excited by forces and moments in all degrees of freedon is presented. The method is based on a Green's function approach. These functions are given for all degrees of freedom in form of well-behaved integrals. The numerical procedure is described and is used to evaluate the vertical, horizontal, rocking and torsion compliance functions of rectangular plates with side ratios 1 ≤ b/a ≤ 10 and non-dimensional frequency 0≤a0≤10. It is shown how this method can be extended to problems concerning a linear visco-elastic halfspace and a halfspace with variable stiffness.