Structural instabilities of plates

Any structural element of the "plate" type, initially flat and subjected to forces acting strictly in its plane, is likely to leave this configuration and bend transversely when the load induces compressive stresses in all or part of the plate. This phenomenon, known as "buckling", occurs when the load reaches a critical threshold and governs the load-bearing capacity. The higher a plate's slenderness, measured by its width/thickness ratio, the more likely it is to buckle.

The compression that causes this instability results either from the direct action of a normal stress distribution, or from the compression component of the principal stresses when the plate is loaded in shear.

The load-bearing capacity of a plate is influenced by geometric imperfections (unevenness), structural imperfections (residual stresses) and the yield strength of the constituent material. Imperfections play an unfavorable role.

The present dossier introduces the basic principles governing transverse bending and buckling of plates, as well as the failure models which now form the basis of normative clauses.

This article follows on from [C 2 510] and [C 2 511] published together in 2009.