On the Thermal Buckling Behavior of Laminated Hybrid Composite Plates Due to Square/Circular Cut-Outs

Cut-outs like circular, rectangular, elliptical, triangular are generally used in composite structures due to access ports for mechanical and electrical systems, damage inspection, to serve as doors and windows, and sometimes to reduce the overall weight of the structure. In this paper the effects of cut-outs on the thermal buckling behavior of hybrid composite plates in cross-ply and angle-ply laminate are presented. The effects of eccentric cut-out size in different plate aspect ratios and boundary conditions on the thermal buckling behavior of the cross-ply and angle-ply laminated hybrid composite plates are also investigated. Finite element analysis is also performed to calculate thermal buckling temperatures for Kevlar/Epoxy, Boron/Epoxy and E-glass/Epoxy. Several outcomes and behavioral characteristics are discussed. These outcomes include the effects of cut-out size, shape, plate aspect ratio and boundary conditions.