Buckling of circular, solid and annular plates with an intermediate circular support

The title problem is solved in the case where uniform applied loading is pr esent at the plate outer boundary. Two independent solutions are obtained: the optimized Rayleigh-Ritz method and the finite element algorithmic proce dure. Good engineering agreement is shown to exist. The proposed analytical procedure is convenient from a designer's viewpoint. Admittedly exact anal ytical solutions can be found in terms of Bessel functions, the procedure b eing rather complex from an engineering viewpoint. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.