ELASTIC BUCKLING OF INCOMPLETE COMPOSITE PLATES

This paper offers a set of partial differential equations designed to enable elastic buckling analysis of incomplete composite plates with regard to the thickness of a steel plate. The paper also analyzes the relationship of critical loads among complete composite plates, incomplete composite plates, and individual plates that do not interact with regard to simply supported rectangular composite plates. Beta = 0 signifies complete composite plates; 0 < beta < 1 signifies incomplete composite plates; and beta = 1 signifies individual plates that do not interact. The paper also submits a diagram representing the essential features of the critical-load characteristics of simply supported rectangular incomplete composite plates suitable for most design purposes. Critical loads can be derived by the use of the diagram without much difficulty.