A refined hyperbolic shear deformation theory for thermal buckling analysis of cross-ply laminated plates

•This theory accounts for the hyperbolic variation of shear.•This theory is simple and effective; the number of unknowns is reduced.•This theory needs of shear correction factors.•The plate is subjected to uniform distributions of temperature.•The critical temperatures of cross-ply laminated plates are analyzed.

Analytical solution of refined hyperbolic shear deformation theory is developed to obtain the critical buckling temperature of cross-ply laminated plates with simply supported edge. Derivations of equations are based on novel refined theory using a new hyperbolic shear deformation theory. Unlike other theories, there are only four unknown functions involved, as compared to five in other shear deformation theories. The theory presented is variationally consistent and strongly similar to the classical plate theory in many aspects. It does not require the shear correction factor, and gives rise to the transverse shear stress variation so that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness to satisfy free surface conditions for the shear stress. The validity and high accuracy of the current exact solution are evaluated by comparing the present results with their counterparts reported in literature.

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