Dynamical instability of laminated plates with external cutout

A method to study dynamical instability and non-linear parametric vibrations of symmetrically laminated plates of complex shapes and having different cutouts is proposed. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the classical plate theory (CPT) are used to formulate a mathematical statement of the given problem. The presence of cutouts essentially complicates the solution of buckling problem, since the stress field is non-uniform. At first, a plane stress analysis is carried out using the variational Ritz method and the R-functions theory. The obtained results are applied to investigate buckling and parametric vibrations of laminated plates. The developed method uses the R-functions theory, and it may be directly employed to study laminated plates of arbitrary forms and different boundary conditions. Besides, the proposed method is numerical-analytical, what greatly facilitates a solution of similar-like non-linear problems. In order to show the advantage of the developed approach, instability zones and response curves for the layered cross- and angle-ply plates with external cutouts are constructed and discussed. •Composite plates with cutouts, mixed boundary conditions and loading are studied.•Both CPT and FSDT matched with the R-functions theory are used.•Novel formulas for unknown functions Ψx and Ψy are given (formula (55)).•Instability zones of cross- and angle-ply plates are constructed and discussed.