Initial postbuckling response of an unsymmetrically laminated rectangular plate

Abstract

It was shown that anisotropic plates can have unstable postbuckling behavior resulting in potential imperfection sensitivity. The degree of instability for rectangular, simply-supported, cross-ply laminated plates is quantified. The analysis is based on asymptotic Koiter-type expansion of postbuckling response. The degree of postbuckling instability is quantified in terms of the reduction in load carrying capacity in the immediate postbuckling range. For graphite-epoxy plates it is found that this measure of instability is very small. Only a low aspect ratio plate with a high degree of anisotropy can have any significant reduction in its buckling load.