Thermal buckling analysis of laminated cylindrical plates by the finite element method

Abstract

The thermal buckling behavior of cylindrical laminated plates subjected to a nonuniform temperature field is investigated by the finite element method. Being nonuniformly distributed over the plate, the thermal stresses should be determined before solving the buckling problem. The stiffness matrix, geometry matrix, and load vector are derived based on the principle of minimum potential energy. The assumed displacement state over the middle surface of the plate element is expressed as the product of one-dimensional, first order Hermite polynomials. Numerical results show that the in-plane boundary conditions are crucial for the thermal buckling of a simply-supported plate, and that the influences of lamination angle, plate aspect ratio, and radius of curvature on the behavior of thermal buckling are also significant for cylindrical laminated plates.