Axisymmetric Upheaval Buckling of a Heavy Sheet

Abstract

A large elastic sheet with a significant self-weight subject to biaxial in-plane compression while lying on a rigid horizontal plane may buckle. The buckles, circular areas which lift away from the rigid subgrade, are essentially a plate phenomenon, an axisymmetric analogue to the widely discussed upheaval buckling of beams. It is found that plate upheaval is relatively insensitive to subgrade friction, a fact which may simplify design against such buckling.