On delamination buckling of composite laminates under compressive loading

The effects of the presence of a delamination on the buckling load of composite laminates under compression are investigated. The linearized buckling analysis for two-and three-dimensional solid finite elements is proposed as an effective and practical tool for the prediction of the critical loads both for bi-dimensional and for tri-dimensional cases. The accuracy of the numerical procedure is assessed by comparing the results with existing analytical solutions obtained from the literature for simple bi-dimensional applications. A tri-dimensional analysis is then presented for the case of a square plate with a circular delamination. The effects of radius and depth of the delamination on the buckling load are also illustrated. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.