APPROXIMATE FORMULAS FOR SHEAR BUCKLING OF ORTHOTROPIC PLATES

The buckling analysis of long plates with two longitudinal edges either restrained by rotational springs or torsional stiffeners under uniform shear is presented using Rayleigh-Ritz method and numerical finite element analysis (FEA). By introducing generic non-dimensional parameters, i.e., orthotropic material parameters, restraint coefficients and buckling coefficients, the buckling formulas of long plates with two kinds of restraints are obtained using curve fitting technique. The analytical buckling formulas of long plates with two longitudinal edges restrained by torsional stiffeners can also be obtained by adapting the fitted formulas of long plates with two longitudinal edges restrained by rotational springs with a critical aspect ratio. The accuracy of the present approximate analytical formulas is validated with the numerical FEA and available solutions in the literature, and excellent agreements are reached.