Buckling of circular plates with an internal ring support and elastically restrained edges

Presented herein are the exact buckling solutions of circular plates with a concentric internal ring support and elastically restrained edges. This study shows the existence of buckling mode switching with respect to the radius of the internal ring support. Generally the plate buckles in an axisymmetric mode but when the ring support radius becomes small, the plate may buckle in an asymmetric mode. The cross-over ring support radius varies from 0.081 to 0.152 times the plate radius, depending on the rotational stiffness of the elastic restraint at the edges. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.