Buckling of imperfect functionally graded plates under in-plane compressive loading

Buckling behavior of rectangular functionally graded plates with geometrical imperfections is studied in this paper. The equilibrium, stability, and compatibility equations of an imperfect functionally graded plate are derived using the classical plate theory. It is assumed that the nonhomogeneous mechanical properties of the plate, graded through thickness, are described by a power function of the thickness variable. The plate is assumed to be under in-plane compressive loading. Simultaneous solving of the stability and compatibility equations in conjunction with the equilibrium equations leads to the buckling relation of the plate. The critical buckling load of a sample plate is obtained and compared for different geometrical ratios. The results are reduced and compared with the results of perfect functionally graded and imperfect isotropic plates.