Exact buckling solutions for rectangular plates under intermediate and end uniaxial loads

This paper is concerned with the elastic buckling of rectangular plates subjected to both intermediate and end uniaxial loads. The rectangular plates have two simply supported opposite edges that are perpendicular to the in-plane load direction, while the other two plate edges can have free, simply supported, or clamped edges. The solution procedure involves the use of the Levy approach, the domain decomposition technique, and the state-space concept. The method furnishes exact stability criteria; samples of which are presented in a graphical form for plates with various boundary conditions. These results will be useful to engineers who design plates (or walls) that support intermediate floors.