Analytical buckling solutions for circular Mindlin plates: inclusion of inplane prebuckling deformation

Abstract

The buckling problem of thick circular plates under uniform radial loads with allowance for inplane prebuckling deformation is solved analytically. The analytical buckling solutions should be very useful as benchmark values for testing the validity, convergence and accuracy of numerical techniques for plate buckling. This study shows the importance of including the prebuckling deformation in thick plate buckling since its effect is in the same order of magnitude as that of shear. The prebuckling deformation effect raises the critical load and is more pronounced in clamped plates than in simply supported ones as the former plates undergo greater deformation before buckling. © 1993 Springer-Verlag.