On Modes of Buckling for a Plate on an Elastic Foundation

We study flexural stability of a homogeneous plate compressed in its plane and lying on an elastic foundation. There is an elastic stratum between the plate and the foundation. In the case of homogeneous uniform compression, the linear approximation does not answer the question of the shape of buckling. A geometrically nonlinear approach leads to the conclusion that the buckling shape is of staggered character.