The effect of anisotropy on post-buckling behavior of laminated plates using semi-energy finite strip method

The effects of anisotropy (i.e. the ratio of longitudinal modulus of elasticity to transverse modulus of elasticity of a rectangular plate) on buckling and post-buckling performance of laminated plates under uniform end-shortening have been studied in this paper by implementing a Rayleigh–Ritz approach and a finite strip approach based on the concept of a rigorous post-buckling solution for composite plates and plate structures, namely the semi-energy approach. To validate the results, they are compared with those obtained from finite element method of analysis. The study of results has revealed that the buckling and post-buckling response of the laminates is significantly influenced by the changing of the anisotropy ratio.