Post-buckling of cross-ply laminated rectangular plates containing short random fibers

Post-buckling of cross-ply laminated composite plate containing randomly oriented short spatial fibers in each layer is obtained analytically, using fast converging double Chebyshev series. The mathematical formulation is based on first-order shear deformation theory and von-Karman non-linearity. The effective elastic properties of the composites are expressed analytically in terms of phase properties, orientation angles, volume fraction, and fiber shape. The effects of fiber orientation in the composites, fiber volume fraction, fiber aspect ratio, and plate span to thickness ratio on the buckling and post-buckling strength are studied. Numerical results for E-glass/Epoxy fiber reinforced laminates are presented for the different boundary conditions and the number of layers of the composite. The results indicate that complete random distribution of the fibers in the composites gives higher buckling and post-buckling strength.