Stability criteria for rectangular plates subjected to intermediate and end inplane loads

This paper is concerned with the elastic buckling of rectangular plates subjected to intermediate and end uniaxial inplane loads, whose direction is parallel to two simply supported edges. The aforementioned buckling problem is solved by decomposing the plate into two subplates at the location where the intermediate uniaxial load acts. Each subplate buckling problem is solved exactly using the Levy approach and the two solutions brought together by matching the continuity equations at the separated interface. It is worth noting that there are five possible solutions for each subplate and consequently there are 25 combinations of solutions to be considered. For different boundary conditions, the buckling solutions comprise of different combinations. For each boundary condition, the correct solution combination depends on the ratio of the intermediate load to the end load. The exact stability criteria, presented both in tabulated and in graphical forms, should be useful for engineers designing walls or plates that have to support intermediate floors/loads.