Plate Buckling: Theory and Applications

This course covers the comprehensive understanding of plate buckling, a crucial concept in structural engineering. It starts with the basic difference between buckling in plates and columns, emphasizing the post-buckling strength of plates. The course introduces the concepts of local and global buckling, and the idealisations in small deflection theory of thin plate buckling. It further delves into the derivation of the governing differential equation of plate buckling using the equilibrium approach. The course also explains the assumptions made during the derivation process, such as small deflections compared to plate thickness and negligible membrane action resulting from flexure. For instance, the Galerkin method involves substituting an assumed shape function in the governing differential equation and minimizing the error in the complete domain of the plate. The course concludes with a problem-solving session where the critical load of a simply supported plate is calculated using the equilibrium approach.