Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to develop a new finite element method for analyzing buckling of delaminated composite plates and shells. This is achieved by establishing a new finite element called the reference-surface element. By use of the compatibility condition under Mindlin assumptions, the formulation of the reference-surface element was derived from whichever plate-element or shell-element being capable of analyzing composite plates and shells. This method assures a reasonable description of displacement field and the satisfaction of compatibility conditions for delamination problem. Numerical results for linear delamination buckling of axially compressed shells are presented to validate the method.

Key words: buckling, composites, delamination, finite element method, shells