Buckling analysis of delaminated composite plates using a novel layerwise theory

In this paper, a novel layerwise theory based on first order shear deformation theory has been developed to evaluate the buckling load of delaminated composite plates with through-the-width and rectangular embedded delaminations. The Rayleigh-Ritz method has been adopted and displacement fields are obtained by incorporating polynomial series. Besides, contact constraints are imposed to the delaminated area using penalty method in order to prevent unacceptable penetration. The present layerwise theory provides a more realistic description of the kinematics of composite laminates when compared to equivalent single layer theories. This method is capable of predicting buckling response of thick delaminated composite plates. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.