Thermomechanical postbuckling analysis of symmetric and antisymmetric composite plates with imperfections

In the present paper the postbuckling response of symmetrically and antisymmetrically laminated composite plates subjected to a combination of uniform temperature distribution through the thickness and in-plane compressive edge loading is presented. The structural model is based on a higher-order shear deformation theory incorporating von Karman nonlinear strain displacement relations. Adopting the Galerkin procedure, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into a set of nonlinear algebraic equations, which are solved using the Newton–Raphson iterative procedure. The critical buckling temperature is obtained from the solution of the linear eigenvalue problem. Postbuckled equilibrium paths are obtained for symmetrically laminated cross-ply, quasi-isotropic and antisymmetric angle-ply composite plates with and without initial geometric imperfections. Modal participation of each mode in the postbuckling deflection is reported using a multi-term Galerkin procedure.