Buckling of Unidirectionally Loaded Composite Plates with

One Free and One Rotationally Restrained Unloaded Edge

László P. Kollár1

Abstract: Closed form solutions are derived for the buckling loads of unidirectionally loaded rectangular orthotropic plates with 共1兲 free
and built-in unloaded edges and 共2兲 free and rotationally restrained unloaded edges. These expressions can be used in the design of local
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buckling of the flanges of fiber-reinforced plastic beams. The accuracies of the formulas were determined and the usefulness of the
formulas was demonstrated by numerical examples.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9445共2002兲128:9共1202兲
CE Database keywords: Buckling; Composite materials; Plates; Edge effect.

Introduction Problem Statement

We consider orthotropic rectangular plates whose axes of orthot-
Pultruded fiber-reinforced plastic beams are important structural ropy coincide with the sides of the plate. The plates are simply
elements. Local buckling analysis of the beams are generally per- supported along the edges parallel to the y axis and free along the
formed by modeling the webs and flanges as individual orthotro- y⫽L y edge. The y⫽0 edge is either built in or rotationally re-
pic plates. A paper was presented recently 共Qiao et al. 2001兲 for strained. The plate is subjected to a uniform uniaxial compression
the analysis of unidirectionally loaded rectangular plates with 共1兲 N x0 in the x direction 共Fig. 1兲. We wish to determine the critical
two rotationally restrained unloaded edges; or 共2兲 one free un- value of the load 共bifurcation load兲, denoted by N x cr , at which
loaded edge and one rotationally restrained unloaded edge. They the plate buckles.
also presented a detailed literature survey that is not reiterated
here. Approach
In this paper we consider rectangular orthotropic plates sub-
The buckling load of the plate is determined by the following
jected to uniaxial compression, in which one of the unloaded
method.
edges is free and the other is built in or rotationally restrained
The investigated plate 关Fig. 2共a兲兴 is replaced by two plates
共case 2 above兲. The exact solution leads to transcendental equa- 共Plates a and b兲 in such a way that the sum of the stiffness ma-
tions 共Whitney 1987; Bank and Yin 1996; Qiao et al. 2001兲. Even trices of these plates is equal to the stiffnesses of the investigated
the simplified solution of Qiao et al. 共2001兲 requires a numerical plate:
procedure. It seems that there are no closed form expressions
available for the calculation of the buckling load. The aim of this
paper is to develop simple closed form expressions for the buck-
ling load of uniaxially loaded plates with free and built-in or
elastically restrained unloaded edges.
These expressions can be used in the analysis of local buckling
of the flanges and stiffeners of fiber reinforced beams. In this
paper we will not discuss either the calculation of the spring
constant which must be considered in the analysis of the local
(1)
buckling load of a flange or a stiffener 共see Barbero and Raftoy-
iannis 1993; Qiao et al. 2001; and Kollár 2002兲 or the effect of
the global and local mode interaction which may be an important
phenomenon in composite columns 共Barbero 2000兲.
When the displacements of the two plates 共Plates a and b兲 are
1
identical to each other, the two plates 关Fig. 2共b兲兴 behave identi-
Professor, Budapest Univ. of Technology and Economics, Hungary,
cally to the original one. Now we separate Plates a and b 关Fig.
H-1521 Budapest, Hungary. E-mail: lkollar@eik.bme.hu
2共c兲兴 such that their boundary and loading conditions are identical
Note. Associate Editor: Billie F. Spencer Jr. Discussion open until
February 1, 2003. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual to the investigated plate. The buckling load of the investigated
papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must plate 关following Southwell’s theorem 共Tarnai 1999兲兴 is approxi-
be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper mated by
was submitted for review and possible publication on July 24, 2001;
approved on February 6, 2002. This paper is part of the Journal of
Structural Engineering, Vol. 128, No. 9, September 1, 2002. ©ASCE, (2)
ISSN 0733-9445/2002/9-1202–1211/$8.00⫹$.50 per page.

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J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 Fig. 1. Uniaxially loaded plates 共a兲 with free and built-in unloaded edges and 共b兲 with free and rotationally restrained unloaded edges

where N xa cr⫽buckling load of Plate a, and N xb cr⫽buckling load of

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Plate b.
The accuracy of Eq. 共2兲 depends, first of all, on how we split
the original plate into two, i.e., on the choice of the stiffnesses D ai j
and D bi j . Note that the closer the buckled shapes of Plates a and b
are to each other, the more accurate the buckling load given by
the above expression 关see Southwell’s theorem 共Tarnai 1999兲兴.
Eq. 共2兲 is accurate when the buckled shapes of Plates a and b are
identical. (3)
We will choose the stiffnesses of Plates a and b in such a way
that the buckling loads N xa cr and N xb cr are readily available and,
hence, we will use the following three types of plates: 共1兲 plates
without torsional stiffness; 共2兲 plates without bending stiffnesses;
and 共3兲 Huber orthotropic plates. The buckling loads of these Solutions of the buckling loads for these two cases are given in
types of plates are given in Appendices A–F of this paper. Appendces A and C. The buckling load is approximated by 关see
In the derived formulas the error is the result of three sources: Eq. 共2兲兴
共1兲 the buckling load is calculated approximately by Eqs. 共1兲 and
共2兲 共Southwell’s theorem兲, 共2兲 in some cases the D 12 element of (4)
the stiffness matrix is neglected, and 共3兲 in some cases the buck-
ling loads of Plates a and b are calculated approximately. 共The
effect of these approximations will be investigated in the ‘‘Veri-
fication’’ section.兲 Gr,bt
where N xcr T
and N xcr are given by Eqs. 共33兲 and 共44兲. These
When one of the edges is simply supported but its rotation is equations, together with Eq. 共4兲 yield
restrained by springs 共‘‘Rotationally Restrained Edge’’ section兲,
the plate is replaced by Plates a and b 关Eq. 共1兲兴 such that the sum
of the spring constants of Plates a and b is equal to the spring l 2x ␲2 D 66
constant of the investigated plate. In this case the buckling load of N x cr⫽1.25 D 22⫹ D 11⫹12 (5)
L 4y l 2x L 2y
the investigated plate is also calculated by Eq. 共2兲 共Southwell’s
theorem兲. where l x ⫽L x /i⫽half buckling length in the x direction, and i
⫽number of half waves. We are interested in the value of i which
results in the lowest buckling load.
Built-In Edge When the plate is long in the x direction (L x ⰇL y ), the buck-
ling load is approximated by 关see Eq. 共2兲兴
In this section we consider plates that are built in along the y
⫽0 unloaded edge 关Fig. 1共a兲兴.
We neglect the stiffness D 12 and replace the investigated plate (6)
by 共1兲 a plate without torsional stiffness and 共2兲 a plate without
bending stiffnesses

Fig. 2. 共a兲 Investigated plate; 共b兲 connected plate a and plate b; and 共c兲 separated Plates a and b

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J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 where N xGr,bt,
cr
long
and N xT cr are given by Eqs. 共35兲 and 共44兲. Eqs. 共We note that this approximation 关Eqs. 共10兲 or 共11兲兴 gives very
共6兲, 共35兲, and 共44兲 yield accurate results because D 12 is not neglected and the buckled
shapes of Plates a and b are close to each other: the buckling
冑D 11D 22 D 66 length of Plate a varies in a range l x ⫽1.58– 1.64L y 4冑D 11 /D 22,
Nx cr⫽7 ⫹12 (7) while the buckling length of Plate b is l x ⫽1.675L y 4冑D 11 /D 22.兲
L 2y L 2y
For the case of K⬎1 we replace the investigated plate by 共1兲
The buckling length l x ⫽l min is given by Eq. 共34兲. a Huber orthotropic plate and 共2兲 a plate without bending stiff-
x
nesses as follows:

Refined Solution for Long Plates

We define the stiffness parameter K as follows:
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2D 66⫹D 12
K⫽ (8)
冑D 11D 12
Note that K⫽1 for an isotropic and for a Huber orthotropic
plate. When the torsional stiffness dominates then K⬎1, while
K⬍1 when the bending stiffnesses dominate.
First we consider the case when K⭐1. We replace the inves- (13)
tigated plate by 共1兲 a Huber orthotropic plate 共Appendix F兲 and
共2兲 a plate without torsional stiffness 共Appendix A兲 as follows:

A solution of the buckling load for Plate a is given in Appen-

dix F, while for Plate b, when D 12 is neglected, in Appendix C.
The buckling load is approximated by 关see Eq. 共2兲兴

(14)

(9) Hub,bt
where N xcr T
and N xcr are given by Eqs. 共52兲 and 共44兲. These
equations, together with Eq. 共14兲 yield

冑D 11D 22
共We can check that Plate a is Huber orthotropic by substituting Nx cr⫽ 关 15.1冑1⫺␯ iso
L 2y
the elements of the above stiffness matrix into Eq. 共49兲. It yields
(2D 66 /K⫹D 12 /K)/ 冑D 11D 22⫽(2D 66⫹D 12)/(K 冑D 11D 22)⫽1.兲 ⫹ 共 K⫺1 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴 共 K⬎1 兲 (15)
The buckling load is approximated by

where ␯ iso is given by Eq. 共12兲.

(10)
Rotationally Restrained Edge

In this section we consider orthotropic plates whose edge y⫽0 is

where N xHub,bt and N xGr,bt,long are given by Eqs. 共52兲 and 共35兲.
cr cr rotationally restrained 关Fig. 1共b兲兴. The bending moment at the
These equations yield
restrained edge is proportional to the rotation of the edge:

Nx cr⫽
冑D 11D 22
L 2y
关 15.1K 冑1⫺␯ iso⫹7 共 1⫺K 兲兴 共 K⭐1 兲 (11) M y 兩 y⫽0 ⫽⫺k
⳵w
⳵y
冏 y⫽0
(16)

where where k⫽rotational spring constant. As we stated before the plate

is replaced by Plates a and b 关Eq. 共1兲兴 such that the sum of the
spring constants of Plates a and b is equal to the spring constant k
D 12 of the investigated plate.
␯ iso⫽ (12)
2D 66⫹D 12 We neglect the stiffness D 12 and replace the investigated plate

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 by 共1兲 a plate without torsional stiffness and 共2兲 a plate without
bending stiffnesses

(17)
(23)
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Solutions of the buckling loads for these two cases are given in
Appendices B and C. The buckling load is approximated by 关see
Eq. 共2兲兴 where the spring constant at the y⫽0 edge of Plate a is Kk, while
the spring constant at the y⫽0 edge of Plate b is (1⫺K)k. The
(18) buckling load is approximated by

cr and N x cr are given by Eqs. 共39兲 and 共44兲. These

where N xGr,rd T
(24)
equations, together with Eq. 共18兲, yield
2
1.25 l x ␲2 D 66
N x cr⫽ 4 D 22⫹ 2 D 11⫹12 2 (19)
Hub,rd
where N xcr Gr,rd,long
and N xcr are given by Eqs. 共53兲 and 共42兲.
1⫹4.12␨ L y lx Ly Introducing these equations into Eq. 共24兲 we obtain
where ␨⫽parameter of restraint

␨⫽
D 22
kL y
(20)
N x cr⫽
冑D 11D 22
L 2y 冉 K 关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯ iso

␨⫽0 for a built-in-edge (k⫽⬁) and ␨⫽infinity for a simply sup-

ported edge (k⫽0). l x ⫽L x /i⫽half buckling length in the x di-
rection, and i⫽number of half waves. We are interested in the
⫹ 共 1⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴 ⫹
7 共 1⫺K 兲
冑1⫹4.12␨ 冊 共 K⭐1 兲 (25)

value of i which results in the lowest buckling load.

We note that Eq. 共19兲 for a simply supported plate becomes where ␯ iso is given by Eq. 共12兲 and
N xcr⫽␲ 2 D 11 /l 2x ⫹12D 66 /L 2y , which is identical to the expression
reported by Barbero 共1999兲. 1
When the plate is long in the x direction (L x ⰇL y ), the buck- ␩⫽ (26)
冑1⫹p␨
ling load can be calculated as
where p⫽7.22⫺3.55␯ iso and ␨ is defined by Eq. 共20兲.
For the case of K⬎1 we replace the investigated plate by 共1兲
(21) a Huber orthotropic plate and 共2兲 a plate without bending stiff-
nesses as follows:
where N xGr,rd,long
cr and N xT cr are given by Eqs. 共42兲 and 共44兲. Eqs.
共21兲, 共42兲, and 共44兲 give

7 冑D 11D 22 D 66
N xcr⫽ ⫹12 (22)
冑1⫹4.12␨ L 2y L 2y

and ␨ is given by Eq. 共20兲. The buckling length l x ⫽l min

x is defined
by Eq. 共41兲.

Refined Solution for Long Plates

First we consider the case when K⭐1, where K is given by Eq. (27)
共8兲. We replace the investigated plate by 共1兲 a Huber orthotropic
plate 共Appendix F兲 and 共2兲 a plate without torsional stiffness 共Ap-
pendix B兲 as follows:

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J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 Table 1. Critical Loads of Unidirectionally Loaded Orthotropic Plates with Built-in Unloaded Edge 关Fig. 1共a兲兴. 关␯ iso⫽D 12 /(2D 66⫹D 12),
K⫽(2D 66⫹D 12)/ 冑D 11D 22兴
Critical load N x cr Maximum error Equation No.

l x2 ␲2 D 66 Lx
1.25 4 D 22⫹ D 11⫹12 where l x ⫽ i⫽1,2,...
Ly l x2 L 2y i 14% 共5兲

Long plates (L x ⰇL y )

冑D 11D 22 D 66
7 ⫹12
L 2y L 2y 14% 共7兲

冑D 11D 22
关 15.1K 冑1⫺␯ iso⫹7 共 1⫺K 兲兴
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when K⭐1
L 2y 2% 共11兲
冑D 11D 22
关 15.1冑1⫺␯ iso⫹ 共 K⫺1 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴 when 1⬍K
L 2y 5.5% 共15兲

The buckling load for Plate a is N xHub,rd

cr 关Eq. 共53兲兴 and for Plate
b, when D 12 is neglected, is N xT cr 关Eq. 共44兲兴. The approximate
buckling load is 关Eq. 共2兲兴
Introducing Eqs. 共53兲 and 共44兲 into Eq. 共28兲, we have
冑D 11D 22
N xcr⫽ 关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯ iso
L 2y
⫹ 共 K⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴
where ␯ iso and ␩ are given by Eqs. 共12兲 and 共26兲.
Verification
The derived expressions are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. To
investigate the accuracy of the expressions, we developed a com-
puter program based on Bank and Yin 共1996兲 and Qiao et al.
(28) 共2001兲, which calculates the ‘‘exact’’ buckling load by solving
the differential equation numerically. The error was defined as
100 (N x cr⫺N xexact exact
cr )/N x cr , where N xcr was calculated by the ex-
pressions given in Tables 1 and 2, and N xexact
cr is the buckling load
calculated by the computer program.
A contour plot of the errors for Eq. 共7兲 is given in Fig. 3, while
contour plots of the errors for Eqs. 共11兲 and 共15兲 are given in Fig.
4. Both figures show the errors as a function of the parameters
共 K⬎1 兲 (29) K⫽(2D 66⫹D 12)/ 冑D 11D 22 and ␯ iso⫽D 12 /(2D 66⫹D 12). We in-
vestigate below possible values for these parameters.
The material must be real, hence (D 12) 2 ⬍D 11D 22 . The curve
of (D 12) 2 ⫽D 11D 22 is given by thick solid lines in Figs. 3 and 4,

Table 2. Critical Loads of Unidirectionally Loaded Orthotropic Plates with Rotationally Restrained Unloaded Edge 关Fig. 1共b兲兴.
关␯ iso⫽D 12 /(2D 66⫹D 12), K⫽(2D 66⫹D 12)/ 冑D 11D 22, ␩⫽1/( 冑1⫹p␨), ␨⫽D 22 /kL y , p⫽7.22⫺3.55␯ iso兴.
Critical load N x cr Maximum error Equation No.

1.25 l x2 ␲2 D 66 Lx
D 22⫹ D 11⫹12 where l x ⫽ i⫽1,2,...
1⫹4.12␨ L 4y l x2 L 2y i 14% 共19兲

Long plates (L x ⰇL y )

7 冑D 11D 22 D 66
⫹12
冑1⫹4.12␨ L 2y L 2y 14% 共22兲

冑D 11D 22
L 2y 冉 K 关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯ iso⫹ 共 1⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴

⫹
7 共 1⫺K 兲
冑1⫹4.12␨ 冊 when K⭐1
2% 共25兲
冑D 11D 22
关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯ iso⫹ 共 K⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴 when 1⬍K
L 2y 5.5% 共29兲

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Fig. 3. Contour plot of errors 共in percentage兲 for Eq. 共7兲 as function Fig. 4. Contour plots of errors 共in percentage兲 for Eqs. 共11兲 and 共15兲
of parameters K and ␯ iso as function of parameters K and ␯ iso

the values of interest of the parameters lie on the left side of these the laminate is h⫽2 mm and the width is L y ⫽50 mm. One of the
curves. unloaded edges is built in 关Fig. 1共a兲兴. The bending stiffnesses of
The parameters K and ␯ iso were calculated for graphite epoxy the plate are
laminates, with the material properties of a unidirectional ply E 1h 3

冉 冊
given in Table 3. The parameter K takes the smallest value for D 11⫽ ⫽99.2 N m
E2
cross-ply laminates, and takes the highest value for angle-ply 12 1⫺␯ 212
laminates. The horizontal parts of the curves 共identified as E1
graphite/epoxy兲 in Figs. 3 and 4 were calculated for cross-ply E 2h 3

冉 冊
laminates. At the left end of the horizontal line the layup is D 22⫽ ⫽6.47 N m
E2
关 0/902 /0兴 n , while at the right end of the horizontal line the layup 12 1⫺␯ 212
is 关 0 4 兴 n (n→⬁). The inclined part of the curve was calculated E1
for angle-ply 关 ⫾␾ 兴 n laminates. At the left end of the inclined line D 12⫽␯ 12D 22⫽1.94 N m
␾⫽0°, while at the right end ␾⫽45°.
We also investigated the effect of the ply properties on the G 12h 3
D 66⫽ ⫽3.03 N m
parameters K and ␯ iso. The bottom curve 共identified by E 1 /E 2 12
⫽100, ␯ 12⫽0兲 was calculated for extremely high anisotropy
(E 1 /E 2 ⫽100) with zero Poisson ratio, while the upper curve
共identified by E 1 /E 2 ⫽100, ␯ 12⫽0.8兲 corresponds to the same
anisotropy with an unrealistically high Poisson ratio.
Figs. 3 and 4 show, that for a range of possible material prop-
erties, the accuracy of Eq. 共7兲 is about 14%, the accuracy of Eq.
共11兲 is about 2%, and that of Eq. 共15兲 is about 5.5%. Numerical
comparisons showed that the accuracies of Eqs. 共22兲, 共25兲, and
共29兲 developed for plates with rotationally restrained edges, are
the same as the accuracies of Eqs. 共7兲, 共11兲, and 共15兲, respec-
tively.

Numerical Examples

First the buckling loads are presented for a unidirectional graphite

epoxy laminate loaded in the fiber direction. The material prop-
erties of a unidirectional ply are given in Table 3. The thickness of

Fig. 5. Buckling load of plate with free and built-in unloaded edge.
Table 3. Material Properties of Unidirectional Graphite Epoxy Ply Exact values of buckling load are given by circles. 关K⫽0.316, ␯ iso
⫽0.242, ␨⫽0, ␩⫽1, Eq. 共7兲 gives N x cr⫽85.600 kN/m, and Eq. 共11兲
Properties E1 E2 G 12 ␯ 12
results in N x cr⫽90.640 kN/m, exact buckling load for long plate is
Graphite/Epoxy 148 GPa 9.65 GPa 4.55 GPa 0.3 cr ⫽91.947 kN/m兴
N xexact

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Fig. 6. Buckling load of plate with free and rotationally restrained
unloaded edge. Exact values of buckling load are given by circles
关 K⫽0.316, ␯ iso⫽0.242, ␨⫽1, ␩⫽0.369, Eq. 共22兲 gives N x cr
⫽45.950 kN/m, and Eq. 共25兲 results in N x cr⫽46.160 kN/m, exact
cr ⫽46.717 kN/m兴.
buckling load for long plate is N xexact
Fig. 7. Buckling load of plate with free and rotationally restrained
unloaded edge given in Qiao et al. 共2001兲. Exact values of buckling
load are given by circles 关K⫽0.7, ␯ iso⫽0.381, ␨⫽3.35, ␩⫽0.22, Eq.
共22兲 gives N xcr⫽810.8 kN/m, and Eq. 共25兲 results in N xcr
⫽807.5 kN/m, exact buckling load for long plate is N xexact cr
⫽811.3 kN/m兴.

The buckling load was calculated by Eq. 共5兲 for different plate
⫽127.39 N m, and D 66⫽103.29 N m. The dimensions of the
length (L x ) and for one (i⫽1), two (i⫽2), and three (i⫽3) half
flange plate are h⫽6.4 mm, and L y ⫽51 mm. Qiao et al. consid-
waves. The results are given by solid lines in Fig. 5. The exact
ered 共1兲 a built-in edge (␨⫽0), 共2兲 a simply supported edge (␨
buckling loads 共calculated by our computer program兲 are also
⫽⬁), and 共3兲 a restrained edge with a parameter of restraint of
given by circles. It can be seen that Eq. 共5兲 is always a conserva-
␨⫽3.35. 关The parameter of restraint was calculated from the stiff-
tive estimate.
nesses of the web and the flange 共see Qiao et al. 共2001兲兲兴.
The lower bound of Eq. 共5兲 is Eq. 共7兲. It gives
The numerical results of Qiao et al. 共2001兲 are as follows:
冑D 11D 22 D 66 1. for the built-in edge: N x␨⫽0cr ⫽1911.5 kN/m;
N x cr⫽7 ⫹12 ⫽85.600 kN/m 2. for the hinged edge: N x␨⫽⬁
L 2y L 2y cr ⫽483.5 kN/m;
3. for the restrained edge their ‘‘theoretical’’ value is N xcr
The buckling length l min
x is 关Eq. 共34兲兴 ⫽804.4 kN/m and the result of their finite element calcula-

冑
tion is N x cr⫽823.5 kN/m. The experimental buckling loads
4 D 11
x ⫽1.675L y
l min ⫽0.166 m for the entire cross section 共Tomblin and Barbero 1994兲 are
D 22 247, 224, and 222 kN, which yield N x cr⫽841, 763, and 759
The exact value of the buckling load, from our computer pro- kN/m.
exact
gram, is N xcr ⫽91.947 kN/m, hence the accuracy is 6.9%. To Our results are as follows:
obtain the refined solution, we determine the stiffness parameters 1. For the built-in edge Eq. 共7兲 gives N x␨⫽0 cr ⫽1763.0 kN/m,
K and ␯ iso while Eq. 共11兲 results in N x␨⫽0
cr ⫽1911.0 kN/m.
2. For the hinged support Eq. 共22兲 gives N x␨⫽⬁ cr ⫽12D 66 /L y
2

2D 66⫹D 12 ⫽476.6 kN/m.

K⫽ ⫽0.316
冑D 11D 22 3. The results for the restrained edge are given in Fig. 7; our
‘‘exact’’ value 共based on our computer program兲 is N xexact cr
D 12 ⫽811.3 kN/m, Eq. 共22兲 gives N xcr⫽810.8 kN/m, and Eq.
␯ iso⫽ ⫽0.242
2D 66⫹D 12 共25兲 results in N x cr⫽807.5 kN/m. The curves given in Fig.
8. of Qiao et al. 共2001兲 are practically identical to those
K⬍1, hence from Eq. 共11兲 we obtain
given in Fig. 7 of this paper.
冑D 11D 22
N x cr⫽ 关 15.1K 冑1⫺␯ iso⫹7 共 1⫺K 兲兴
L 2y
Discussion
⫽90.640 kN/m
Closed from solutions were derived for the buckling loads of
The accuracy is 1.4%. unidirectionally loaded rectangular orthotropic plates with free
The same plate was also calculated with a rotationally re- and rotationally restrained unloaded edges 共Tables 1 and 2兲.
strained edge 关Fig. 1共b兲兴. The parameter of restraint 关Eq. 共20兲兴 When the length of the plate with a built-in edge is 关see Eq.
was ␨⫽1. The results are given in Fig. 6. 共34兲 and Fig. 5兴

冑
Next we consider the flange of an H-section beam investigated
by Qiao et al. 共2001兲 共section 102⫻102⫻6.4兲. The bending
4 D 11
L x ⬍l min
x ⫽1.675L y 共 built-in edge兲 (30)
stiffnesses are D 11⫽698.23 N m, D 22⫽326.33 N m, D 12 D 22

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J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 the plate buckles with one half wave in the x direction (i⫽1), Appendix B: Orthotropic Plates without Torsional
and the buckling load can be calculated from Eq. 共5兲. When the Stiffness—Restrained Edge
length of the plate with a rotationally restrained edge is 关see Eq.
共41兲兴 We consider a plate with stiffness D 11 and D 22 , while D 12⫽D 66

冑
⫽0. The y⫽0 edge is rotationally restrained. The bending mo-
4 D 11
L x ⬍l min
x ⫽1.675L y 共 1⫹4.12␨ 兲 ment at the restrained edge is proportional to the rotation of the
D 22 edge 关see Eq. 共16兲, where k is the spring constant兴. The buckling
load is determined by using Föppl’s theorem 共Tarnai 1999兲
共 rotationally restrained edge兲 (31)
1. When k is set equal to infinity, the y⫽0 edge is built in, and
the plate buckles with one half wave in the x direction (i⫽1), the buckling load is given by Eq. 共33兲
and the buckling load can be calculated from Eq. 共19兲.
x 关see Eqs. 共30兲 or 共31兲兴, more
When the plate is longer than l min
than one half wave may develop in the axial direction (i⭓1) and (36)
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the buckling load can be approximated 共see Fig. 5兲 by the expres-

sions given in Tables 1 and 2 for long plates.

Acknowledgments 2. When D 22 is set equal to infinity the deflection is in the form

of w(x,y)⫽Ay sin(␲x/lx), where A is a constant. Without
This work was supported by the Hungarian Science Foundation giving the detailed derivation, the buckling load for this case
共OTKA, No. T032053兲 which is highly appreciated. is
In the following Appendices we consider orthotropic rectangu-
lar plates which are free along the y⫽L y edge and simply sup-
ported along the edges parallel to the y axis. The y⫽0 edge is (37)
either built in or rotationally restrained. The plate is subjected to
a uniform uniaxial compression N x0 in the x direction 共Fig. 1兲. We
wish to determine the critical value of the load, denoted by N x cr ,
at which the plate buckles. 3. When both k and D 22 are finite, according to Föppl’s theo-
rem 共Tarnai 1999兲, the buckling load is approximated by
Appendix A: Orthotropic Plates without Torsional ␲2
Stiffness—Built-In Edge Nx cr⫽ 关共 N 共xi兲cr兲 ⫺1 ⫹ 共 N 共xiicr兲 兲 ⫺1 兴 ⫺1 ⫹ 2 D 11 (38)
lx
We consider a plate with stiffnesses D 11 and D 22 while D 12 Eqs. 共36兲–共38兲 yield
⫽D 66⫽0. The y⫽0 edge is built in. The differential equation of
buckling 共Whitney 1987兲 reduces to
(39)
⳵ 4w ⳵ 4w ⳵ 2w
D ⫹ D ⫽⫺N (32)
⳵x 4 11 ⳵y 4 22 x0
⳵x 2
The solution of this differential equation which satisfies the
boundary conditions can be found in the form of w(x,y)
⫽w̄(y)sin ␲x/lx , where l x ⫽L x /i⫽half buckling length in the x where
direction, i⫽number of half waves, and w̄ depends only on y.
Without giving the detailed derivation, the buckling load is D 22
␨⫽ (40)
kL y

␨ is equal to 0 for a built-in edge (k⫽⬁) and ␨ is equal to

(33)
infinity for a simply supported edge (k⫽0); l x ⫽L x /i.
When the plate is long the necessary condition which gives the
where lowest N x cr is d(N x cr)/d(l x )⫽0. This condition and Eq. 共39兲 give

␮⫽1.875, l x⫽
Lx
i l x ⫽l min
x ⫽L y ␮
冑
␲ 4 D 11
D 22
共 1⫹4.12␨ 兲

冑
We are interested in the value of i which results in the lowest
buckling load. When the plate is long the necessary condition
4 D 11
⫽1.675L y 共 1⫹4.12␨ 兲 (41)
which gives the lowest N x cr is d(N x cr)/d(l x )⫽0. This condition D 22
and Eq. 共33兲 give
Eqs. 共39兲 and 共41兲 give
l x ⫽l min
x ⫽L y ␮ 冑
␲ 4 D 11
D 22
⫽1.675L y
4 D 11

D 22
冑 (34)
N Gr,rd,long⫽
冑D 11D 22 2␮ 2

Eqs. 共33兲 and 共34兲 give

x cr
L 2y 冑1⫹4.12␨
␮2 冑D 11D 22 冑D 11D 22 7
N Gr,bt,long⫽2 冑D 11D 22⫽7 (35) ⫽ (42)
x cr
L 2y L 2y L 2y 冑1⫹4.12␨
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J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 The accuracy of Eq. 共42兲 was investigated numerically. It was D
found that Eq. 共42兲 may underestimate the buckling load by up to x cr ⫽
N iso,rd 关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯⫹ 共 1⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ 兲兴 (47)
L 2y
1%.
The function ␩ is assumed to be in the following form 关see
Qiao et al. 2001 and also the multiplier 1/冑1⫹4.12␨ in Eq. 共42兲兴
Appendix C: Orthotropic Plates Without Bending
Stiffness 1
␩⫽ (48)
冑1⫹p␨
We consider a plate with the stiffness D 66 while D 11⫽D 22⫽D 12
where
⫽0. The y⫽0 edge is hinged. The differential equation of buck-
ling 共Whitney 1987兲 reduces to p⫽7.22⫺3.55␯

⳵ 4w ⳵ 2w and ␨ is given by Eq. 共40兲. The parameter p was determined

2 2D 66⫽⫺N x0 (43) numerically using a least square technique. We found that Eqs.
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⳵x ⳵y
2
⳵x 2
共47兲 and 共48兲 give the buckling load within 1% when ␯⭐0.4.
The solution of this differential equation was obtained by
using the Ritz method. The displacement was assumed to be in
the form of w(x,y)⫽Ay sin(␲x/lx), where l x ⫽L x /i is the half Appendix F: Huber Orthotropic Plates
buckling length in the x direction, A is a constant, and i is the
number of half waves. We determined that the buckling load is When the relationship
independent of l x , and it is given by
2D 66⫹D 12
⫽1 (49)
N Tx cr⫽12
D 66
(44) 冑D 11D 22
L 2y
holds between the stiffnesses of an orthotropic plate, the plate is
The same result applies when the y⫽0 edge is either built in called ‘‘Huber orthotropic’’ 共Timoshenko and Woinowsky-
or rotationally restrained. 共In this case ⳵w/⳵y⫽0 at the edge and Krieger 1959兲. The buckling load of a Huber orthotropic plate can
high curvature develops across a narrow strip close to the y⫽0 be calculated accurately from the buckling load of a replacement
edge.兲 isotropic plate as 共see Timoshenko and Woinowsky-Krieger 1959兲

Appendix D: Isotropic Plates—Built-In Edge

N x cr⫽ 冑 D 11 iso
N
D 22 x cr
(50)

where N xisocr⫽buckling load of the replacement isotropic plate

We consider a long (L x ⰇL y ) isotropic plate with the stiffnesses: which has the bending stiffness D iso and the Poisson ratio ␯ iso
D 11⫽D 22⫽D, D 12⫽␯D, and D 66⫽D(1⫺␯)/2, where D is the defined as
bending stiffness and ␯ is the Poisson ratio. The y⫽0 edge is built D 12
in. The method of solution is given in Timoshenko and Gere D iso⫽D 22 , ␯ iso⫽ (51)
2D 66⫹D 12
共1961兲, and the numerical result for the case of ␯⫽0.25 is N x cr
⫽13.11D/L 2y . The buckling load was calculated for different When the y⫽0 edge is built in the buckling load is calculated
Poisson ratios, and it was found that the expression from Eqs. 共45兲, 共50兲, and 共51兲
冑D 11D 22
D
冑1⫺␯ N HNub,bt ⫽15.1 冑1⫺␯ iso (52)
x cr ⫽15.1
N iso,bt (45) x cr 2
L 2y Ly

gives the buckling load within 1% when ␯⭐0.4, and the maxi- In this case the buckling length 共see Appendix D兲 varies in a
mum error is 2.7% when ␯⭐0.5. 共Note that the buckling length narrow range 1.58L y 4冑D 11 /D 22⬍l x ⬍1.64L y 4冑D 11 /D 22.
varies in a narrow range 1.58L y ⬍l x ⬍1.64L y .兲 When the y⫽0 edge is rotationally restrained the buckling
load is 关see Eqs. 共47兲, 共50兲, and 共51兲兴
冑D 11D 22
Appendix E: Isotropic Plates—Restrained Edge
x cr ⫽
N Hub,rd 关 ␩15.1冑1⫺␯ iso
L 2y
We consider a long isotropic plate where the y⫽0 edge is rota-
tionally restrained. The bending moment at the restrained edge is ⫹ 共 1⫺␩ 兲 6 共 1⫺␯ iso兲兴 (53)
proportional to the rotation of the edge 关see Eq. 共16兲, where k is where ␩ is given by Eq. 共48兲.
the spring constant兴. The buckling load for a plate with rotation-
ally restrained edge is approximated by 共Qiao et al. 2001兲
Notation
x cr ⫽␩N x cr ⫹ 共 1⫺␩ 兲 N x cr
N iso,rd iso,bt iso,ss
(46)

cr ⫽buckling load of a plate, when the y⫽0 edge is

where N xiso,bt The following symbols are used in this paper:
cr ⫽buckling load of a plate, when the
built in (k⫽⬁), while N xiso,ss D i j i, j ⫽ 1, 2, 6 stiffness of plate;
cr is given by Eq. 共45兲
y⫽0 edge is simply supported (k⫽0). N xiso,bt D 11 , D 22 ⫽ bending stiffness;
cr is 共Timoshenko and Gere 1961兲
and the expression for N xiso,ss D 66 ⫽ torsional stiffness;
cr ⫽6(1⫺␯)D/L y . By introducing these expressions into Eq.
N xiso,ss 2
K ⫽ (2D 66⫹D 12)/ 冑D 11D 22 stiffness parameter
共46兲, the buckling load for a plate with rotationally restrained 共for isotropic plate K⫽1兲;
edge is k ⫽ rotational spring constant;

1210 / JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING / SEPTEMBER 2002

J. Struct. Eng. 2002.128:1202-1211.

 Lx , Ly ⫽ dimensions of plate; Barbero, E. J., and Raftoyiannis, I. 共1993兲. ‘‘Local buckling of FRP
lx ⫽ buckling length; beams and columns.’’ J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 5共3兲, 339–355.
Kollár, L. P. 共2002兲. ‘‘Local buckling of composite beams.’’ Eng. Mech.,
N x cr ⫽ critical load 共per unit length兲;
in press.
␨ ⫽ D 22 /kL y parameter of restraint; and
Qiao, P., Davalos, J. F., and Wang, J. 共2001兲. ‘‘Local buckling of com-
␯ iso ⫽ D 12 /(2D 66⫹D 12) stiffness parameter 共for posite FRP shapes by discrete plate analysis.’’ J. Struct. Eng., 127共3兲,
isotropic plate ␯ iso is Poisson ratio兲. 245–255.
Tarnai, T. 共1999兲. ‘‘Summation theorems concerning critical loads of bi-
furcation.’’ Structural stability in engineering practice, L. Kollár, ed.,
References E&FN Spon, London, 23–58.
Timoshenko, S. P., and Gere, J. M. 共1961兲. Theory of elastic stability, 2nd
Bank, L. C., and Yin, J. 共1996兲. ‘‘Buckling of orthotropic plates with free Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
and rotationally restrained unloaded edges.’’ Thin-Walled Struct., 24, Timoshenko, S. P., and Woinowsky-Krieger, S. 共1959兲. Theory of plates
83–96. and shells, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
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Barbero, E. J. 共1999兲. Introduction to composite materials design, Taylor Tomblin, J., and Barbero, E. J. 共1994兲. ‘‘Local buckling experiments on
& Francis, Philadelphia. FRP columns.’’ Thin-Walled Struct., 18共2兲, 97–116.
Barbero, E. J. 共2000兲. ‘‘Prediction of buckling-mode interaction in com- Whitney, J. M. 共1987兲. Structural analysis of laminated anisotropic
posite columns.’’ Mech. Compos. Mater. Struct., 7, 269–284. plates, Technomic, Lancaster.

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