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

This paper is concerned with the elastic buckling problem of circular Mindlin plates with a concentric internal ring support and elastically restrained edge. In solving this problem analytically, the circular plate is first divided into an annular segment and a core circular segment at the location of the internal ring support. Based on the Mindlin plate theory, the governing differential equations for the annular and circular segments are then solved exactly and the solutions brought together by using the interfacial conditions. New exact critical buckling loads of circular Mindlin plate with an internal ring support and elastically restrained edge are presented for the first time. The optimal radius of the internal ring support for maximum buckling load is also found. An approximate relationship between the buckling loads of such circular plates based on the classical thin plate theory and the Mindlin plate theory is also explored.