Buckling of Composites: Practical Approach

In modern technology, the mechanical behaviour of composite structures is of particular interest to engineers. It has a wide range of applications in engineering science and technology. Buckling behaviour of laminated composite plates subjected to in-plane loads is an important consideration in the preliminary design of aircraft components. During operation, the composite laminate plates are commonly subjected to compressive loads that may cause buckling if overloaded. Hence their buckling behaviours are important factors in safe and reliable design of the structures. The sizing of many structural subcomponents of the aircraft structures is often determined by stability constraints. The effect of the ply orientation, aspect ratio and length to thickness ratio plays a role in the buckling behaviour of such composite plates. Also, plates with different cut-out shapes are extensively used as structural members in aircraft design. These cut-outs can be access holes, holes for hardware to pass through, or in the case of fuselage, windows and doors. In some cases cut-outs are used to reducreduce the weight of the structure, behaviour of such plates with cut-outs is very important.