Buckling of laminated composite plate with various shapes of holes under uniform/nonuniform mechanical and thermal loading

ABSTRACT In this study, buckling characteristics of laminated composite plates with different shapes of holes under uniform/nonuniform mechanical and thermal loads are investigated. Mathematical formulations are done using finite element-based first-order shear deformation theory. A MATLAB programme is developed using isoperimetric quadrilateral elements with five degrees-of-freedom per node. Uniaxial and biaxial loading on full and partial edge of the plate are considered in the analysis. Solution for buckling load is done using eigenvalue approach and detailed parametric studies revealed the influence of the aspect ratio, plate span to thickness ratio, the shape of hole, distribution of mechanical and thermal load, boundary conditions, and fibre orientation on buckling loads and temperature. The findings of this study are in good agreement with those presented in the literature, verifying the efficiency of the proposed method.