Investigation on buckling and mode jumping of composite plates under thermomechanical loads

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of composite plates, analyzing the interaction between mechanical and thermal loads related to buckling and the occurrence of mode jumping. A novel experimental setup for thermomechanical testing was developed. The setup is conceived around a frame with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, so that the plate can experience buckling and mode jumping when heated; and when compressed, interactions between the two loading states can be studied. Experimental results of plates loaded under diverse load cases are delivered in the form of load vs out-of-plane deflection graphs, deflection plots and buckling charts, where all buckling and mode jumping bifurcation points are registered. The influence of combined loading over mode jumping phenomena was successfully captured. Numerical predictions are able to estimate general tendencies in the occurrences of both buckling and mode jumping and in the mutual influence of thermal and mechanical loads.