Author's Organization：Research Scholar, Centre for Soft Ground Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Professor, Centre for Soft Ground Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Professor, Centre for Soft Ground Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
A variational approach for the analysis of rectangular rafts on an elastic half-space under vertical loading is presented. The deflected shape of a raft is represented by a function with a set of undetermined constants. The response of the raft is determined by the use of the principle of minimum potential energy. The results based on the present method compare well with available published solutions.
