Solution to the static stability problem of three-layered annular plates with a soft core

The solutions to the static stability problem of a three-layered annular plate with a soft core and a symmetric cross-section structure are presented in this paper. The basic element of the solution is the formulation of a system of differential equations describing plate deflections and the use of the finite difference method in calculation of critical loads of buckling forms solving the eigen-value problem. The solution indicates the minimal values of static critical loads as well as the buckling forms of plates compressed on a selected edge. The obtained results have been compared with those obtained for plate models built by means of the finite element method. The final remarks concerning the forms of the loss of static stability of analysed plates with the sandwich structure have been formulated. This paper is a complement of the work by Pawlus (2005), which concerned calculations of the dynamic stability of plates, and it is an extension to cases of wave forms o f the plate buckling problem earlier presented only for regular, axially-symmetrical forms of deformation in, eg., Pawlus (2002).