Compressive buckling of flat rectangular plates supported by rigid posts

Results of a theoretical investigation of the compressive buckling of flat, rectangular, simply supported plates supported in the interior by equally spaced rows of rigid posts are presented. It is found that the plates buckle as if simply supported along all of the transverse lines or else all of the longitudinal lines passing through the rigid posts, the occurrence of the one buckling mode or the other depending on the number and spacing of the posts.