The Length-scale Effect in the Buckling of Thin Periodic Plates Resting on a Periodic Winkler Foundation

In this paper a new modelling method, called the tolerance averaging method, is presented and applied to analyse a buckling of thin periodic plates resting on a periodically heterogeneous Winkler foundation. The derived length-scale model makes it possible to take into account the effect of periodicity cell size (the length-scale effect) on the overall plate behaviour, on the contrary to the known homogenised models of periodic plates neglecting this effect. In order to evaluate obtained results the buckling problems of those plates are analysed using not only the proposed model but also a certain effective stiffnesses model. A comparison between obtained results leads to a conclusion that the length-scale effect could not be neglected in buckling of periodic plates resting on a Winkler foundation.