Thermal buckling analysis of composite laminated plates by the finite-element method

The thermal buckling behavior of laminated plates subjected to a nonuniform temperature field is investigated by the finite-element method. Being nonuniformly distributed over the plate, the thermal stresses should be determined before solving the buckling problem. The stiffness matrix, geometry matrix, and load vector are derived based on the principle of minimum potential energy. The assumed displacement state over the middle surface of the plate element is expressed as the products of one-dimensional, first-order Hermite polynomials. Numerical results show that the thermal buckling strength of a clamped plate is higher than that of a simply supported plate, and the influence of lamination angle, plate aspect ratio, and modulus ratio on thermal buckling are found to be significant for laminated plates.