Buckling of the composite anisogrid lattice plate with clamped edges under shear load

A solution of the buckling problem for a shear loaded composite anisogrid lattice plate with the clamped edges based on the Galerkin method is presented in this paper. The lattice plate is modelled as an equivalent continuous orthotropic plate with effective stiffness parameters. The deflection of buckled plate is presented in the form of a double series containing clamped-clamped beam functions. The critical in-plane shear load is found solving the generalised eigenvalue problem for a homogeneous system of algebraic equations in which the unknowns are the coefficients of the double series. Based on this solution, the effects of the plate dimensions and parameters of lattice structure on the value of critical load are investigated and analysed. Results of these analyses are successfully verified using the finite element method. An approximate analytical expression providing fast and reliable way of calculation of the critical buckling load is obtained for the lattice plate composed of the ribs made of the same composite material and with the same size of their cross-sections. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.