Dynamic buckling of antisymmetrically laminated angle-ply rectangular plates due to axial loads proportional to time and axial step loads is considered. The nonlinear response of initially imperfect plates is determined from the numerical solution of the governing differential equation. In the case of the step loading this equation can be solved analytically. In the particular case of a perfect plate the solution of the linear problem yields the condition of dynamic buckling. Another problem considered in the paper is the behavior of an imperfect plate initially loaded by axial static stresses. The static response is determined first and the motion of the plate is superimposed on the static displacements in the second phase of the solution. © 1989.