Finite element analysis of buckling of rectangular composite plates in compression

• Main Author: Tang, Wei Yang
• Other Authors: Chai Gin Boay
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Materials of construction
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167070
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This report presents a finite element analysis of the buckling behavior of anti-symmetric cross ply laminated rectangular composite plates under compression using ANSYS (academic 2022 R2 version) finite element program. The study aims to investigate the coupling effects in the buckling response of laminated rectangular composite plates under specific boundary conditions and stacking sequences. The boundary conditions, labeled S1, S2, S3, and S4, enforced different constraints on the structure’s displacement in both the x and y directions. S1 enforced zero displacements in both directions, S2 allowed displacement in the x direction but restricted displacement in the y direction , S3 allowed displacement in the y direction but restricted displacement in the x direction, and S4 allowed displacement in both directions. Anti-symmetric cross ply stacking sequence were varied from 2 piles to 8 piles. Parametric analyses were conducted to evaluate different boundary conditions and stacking sequences. The ANSYS analysis revealed that the thin rectangular composite plate with S4 boundary condition has the lowest buckling coefficient, indicating the easiest to buckle among the four boundary conditions tested (S1, S2, S3, and S4). On the other hand, S1 boundary condition has the highest buckling coefficient, followed by S3 and S2. Thus, S4 boundary condition has the highest coupling effect, while S1 boundary condition has the lowest coupling effect. Furthermore, all four boundary conditions demonstrate that coupling effects decreases as the number of piles in the laminated plates increases. These results provide valuable insights for designing anti-symmetric cross ply laminates that can withstand compressive loads while minimizing the risk of buckling failure. To validate these findings, it is recommended to use other available FEA methods, such as ABAQUS, with a similar design. The study underscores the importance of selecting appropriate boundary conditions and stacking sequences when designing composite plates subjected to compressive loads, and the effectiveness of ANSYS in analyzing such structures.