Differential quadrature element method for buckling analysis of rectangular Mindlin plates having discontinuities

In this paper, a new solution approach, the differential quadrature element method is applied to the buckling analysis of discontinuous rectangular pl ates based on the Mindlin plate theory, The domain decomposition method is used to divide the solution domain into smaller elements according to the d iscontinuities contained in the plate. Then, differential quadrature proced ures are applied to each element to formulate the discretized element gover ning equations. These discrete equations are then assembled into an overall equation system, using the compatibility conditions, and solved by a stand ard eigensolver. Detailed formulations for modeling of the plate and the co mpatibility conditions are derived. Convergence and comparison studies are carried out to examine the reliability and accuracy of the numerical soluti ons, Four rectangular Mindlin plates with different discontinuities (mixed boundary conditions and cracks) are analyzed to show the applicability and flexibility of the present methodology for solving a class of buckling prob lems. Due to the lack of published solutions for buckling of thick disconti nuous plates and the high accuracy of the present approach, the solutions o btained may serve as benchmark values for further studies. (C) 2001 Publish ed by Elsevier Science Ltd.