Analytical buckling solutions for Mindlin plates involving free edges (Q1126274)

The paper investigates the buckling behaviour of rectangular Mindlin plates having two parallel simply supported edges under uniaxial and biaxial compression. A general Levy-type solution procedure has been employed to solve the governing differential equations, and comparison has been made with available analytical and numerical solutions to ensure the value of the method. Design charts for other boundary conditions are presented together with parametric studies for different aspect ratios, thickness ratios and in-plane load ratios.