Elastic Buckling Analysis of Perforated Thin-Walled Structures by the Isoparametric Spline Finite Strip Method

This paper presents the application of the isoparametric spline finite strip method to the elastic buckling analysis of perforated foldedplate structures. The general theory of the isoparametric spline finite strip method is introduced. The kinematics assumptions, strain–displacement and constitutive relations of the Mindlin plate theory are described and applied to the spline finite strip method. The corresponding matrix formulation is utilised in the equilibrium and stability equations to derive the stiffness and stability matrices. A number of numerical examples of flat and folded perforated plate structures illustrate the applicability and accuracy of the proposed method.