Finite element dynamic stability analysis of laminated composite skew plates containing cutouts based on HSDT

The finite element dynamic stability analysis of laminated composite skew structures subjected to in-plane pulsating forces is carried out based on the higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). The two boundaries of the instability regions are determined using the method proposed by Bolotin. The numerical results obtained for square and skew plates with or without central cutout are in good agreement with those reported by other investigators. The new results for laminated skew plate structures containing cutout in this study mainly show the effect of the interactions between the skew angle and other various parameters, for example, cutout size, the fiber angle of layer and thickness-to-length ratio. The effect of the magnitude of the periodic in-plane load on the dynamic instability index is also investigated.