An accurate approach for finding the critical buckling stress of thick orthotropic plates

This paper presents an accurate approach for finding the critical buckling stress of thick orthotropic plates by considering the pre-buckling deformations. Three dimensional equilibrium equations are derived based on the finite displacement theory of elasticity in Cartesian coordinate system. Stability equations are then derived from the adjacent equilibrium criterion. These equations are solved analytically for a simply supported orthotropic rectangular plate. Finally, the accurate critical buckling stress of the plate is obtained and compared with those obtained by ignoring the pre-buckling deformations. It is concluded that the pre-buckling deformations significantly affect the critical buckling stress particularly for thick plates under tension and compression simultaneously.