Bending and membrane components of transverse forces in a fixed square isotropic plate under simultaneous compression and transverse loading were established within the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), the simple first-order shear deformation theory (S-FSDT), and the classical plate theory (CPT). Special attention was drawn to the fact that bending components were accompanied by transverse deformations, whereas membrane components were not, i.e., the plate was transversely perfectly rigid. In the FSDT and the S-FSDT, double assumptions concerning transverse deformations in the plate hold. A new formulation of the differential equation of equilibrium with respect to the transverse direction of the plate, using a variational approach, was proposed. For nonlinear problems in the mechanics of thin-walled plates, a range where membrane components should be considered in total transverse forces was determined. It is of particular significance as far as modern composite structures are concerned.
Keywords: CPT; FSDT; S-FSDT; bending and membrane components of transverse forces; nonlinear theories of plate structures; shear forces; square plate; transversally inextensible plate.