Evaluation of Critical Buckling Load in FG Plate using Analytical and Finite Elements Methods

In this paper, analytical and finite element solutions of mechanical buckling of a thick Functionally Graded (FG) plate have been investigated. Boundary conditions have been assumed as simply supported at all edges and three different loadings have been applied. In analytical section the procedure of developing the critical buckling force by third order shear theory has been presented and then the stability Equations have been reduced from 5 to 2. In continue, the problem has been solved using numerical simulation by ABAQUS. To validate the FEM, results have been compared and validated with analytical solution. The results show that the bi-axial compression loading case with the loading ratio of R to one and R to zero are the most possible and most unlikely case in buckling occurrence, respectively.