Abstract
Details are given of a finite element scheme for the determination of the elastic buckling loads of thin flat plates of arbitrary shape under general kinematic and traction boundary conditions. The buckling loads are calculated using a triangular finite element with corner connections which is based on a previously derived variational principle combining both stresses and displacements. Numerical solutions are presented to a number of example problems, including plates with reinforcing members, and comparisons are made, where possible, with results from the finite element analyses of other authors and with exact or classical Rayleigh–Ritz solutions.

This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit: