POSTBUCKLING OF COMPOSITE LAMINATED PLATES UNDER BIAXIAL COMPRESSION COMBINED WITH LATERAL PRESSURE AND RESTING ON ELASTIC FOUNDATIONS

A postbuckling analysis is presented for a. simply supported, composit e laminated rectangular plate subjected to biaxial compression combine d with lateral pressure and resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak-type ) elastic foundation. The initial geometrical imperfection of the plat e is taken into account. The formulations are based on the classical l aminated plate theory, including plate-foundation interaction. The ana lysis uses a perturbation technique to determine the buckling loads an d postbuckling equilibrium paths. Numerical examples are presented tha t relate to the performances of antisymmetric angle-ply and symmetric cross-ply laminated plates subjected to combined loading and resting o n Pasternak-type elastic foundations from which results for Winkler el astic foundations are obtained as a limiting case. The influence playe d by a number of effects, among them foundation stiffness, the plate a spect ratio, the total number of plies, fibre orientation and initial lateral pressure, is studied. Typical results are presented in dimensi onless graphical form.