An Accurate Computational Method for Buckling of Orthotropic Composite Plate with Non-Classical Boundary Restraints

New accurate buckling analysis for rectangular orthotropic thin plates with complicated non-classical boundary restraints are conducted through adopting the finite Fourier integral transform approach. Non-classical boundaries such as rotationally restrained edges increase the mathematical difficulty in processing problems of plates, which leads to rare analytical results for benchmark use. The proposed approach is implemented in the framework of integral transform theory, in which trial function for the deflection is not necessary, and offers uniform solution procedures for problems of plates with various boundaries via adopting different integral kernels. The main merits of the approach employed is to enable one to change the complicated title problem into dealing with linear algebraic equations easily solved. Via altering the rotational spring factors introduced, buckling behaviors of plates with Levy-type boundaries and non-Levy-type boundaries can also be studied. Finally, all the given results including critical load factor and mode shape match the FEM analysis exactly, which illustrate the accuracy and validity of the method.