Compressional stability behavior of composite plates with through-the-width and embedded delaminations by using first order shear deformation theory

In this paper, the compressive, i.e. bucking and post-buckling, behavior of composite laminates with through-the-width and embedded delaminations is investigated analytically. The analytical method is based on the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and its formulation is developed on the basis of the Rayleigh–Ritz approximation technique. In the case of the multiple delaminations, the contact phenomenon has significant effects on the compressional behavior of the laminates. Thus, the contact between the delaminated sublaminates is also considered in the presented FSDT analytical method. The method can handle both local buckling of the delaminated sublaminates and global buckling of the whole plate. Also, the three-dimensional finite element analysis is performed by using ANSYS5.4 general purpose commercial software, and the results are compared with those obtained by the analytical model. The agreement between the results is very good.