The Nonlinear Behavior of a Post-Buckled Circular Plate

The axisymmetric post-buckling behavior of a circular plate with initial in-plane compression loading is investigated. The von Karman plate equations are solved numerically for a clamped plate and solutions are presented for a range of transverse and in-plane loadings. These solutions can be used to predict the post-buckled behavior of microscale diaphragms. A tradeoff between sensitivity and linearity of post-buckled plates is also discussed.