Buckling analysis of nonuniformly compressed rectangular FG-CNT reinforced laminated composite plate resting on elastic foundation: An analytical solution

Abstract

The present study is focused on the development of an analytical solution for the buckling analysis of carbon nanotube reinforced functionally graded (FG-CNTRC) laminated plates resting on Pasternak elastic foundation and subjected to different nonuniform edge loads. The analytical solution is formulated using a two-step procedure: First, an accurate in-plane stress solution is developed by superimposing three suitable Airy’s stress functions; second, the stress solution is utilized to compute the critical buckling loads using the Galerkin’s procedure. Results from parametric studies show that the buckling behavior of FG-CNTRC plates greatly depends on the type of nonuniform loads, plate configurations, and support parameters.