Thermomechanical postbuckling analysis of symmetric and antisymmetric composite plates with imperfections

In the present paper the postbuckling response of symmetrically and antisymmetrically laminated composite plates subjected to a combination of uniform temperature distribution through the thickness and in-plane compressive edge loading is presented. The structural model is based on a higher-order shear deformation theory incorporating von Karman nonlinear strain displacement relations. Adopting the Galerkin procedure, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into a set of nonlinear algebraic equations, which are solved using the Newton-Raphson iterative procedure. The critical buckling temperature is obtained from the solution of the linear eigenvalue problem. Postbuckled equilibrium paths are obtained for symmetrically laminated cross-ply, quasi-isotropic and antisymmetric angle-ply composite plates with and without initial geometric imperfections. Modal participation of each mode in the postbuckling deflection is reported using a multi-term Galerkin procedure. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.