Effect of bending-twisting coupling on compressive buckling characteristics for symmetrically laminated plates

In the present paper we examine the compressive buckling characteristics of symmetrically laminated plates with bending-twisting coupling. With use of lamination parameters, the effect of bending twisting coupling on compressive buckling loads is discussed for the case of simply-supported or clamped edges where the Rayleigh-Ritz method and the Galerkin method are respectively applied in the buckling analysis of simply-supported and clamped plates. The paper also examines the effect of the aspect ratio of rectangular plates on compressive buckling characteristics. The representation of the buckling load on the lamination parameter plane gives a comprehensive explanation of the coupling effect, since any laminate configuration in symmetrically laminated plates can be expressed in terms of four out-of-plane lamination parameters.