Thin cylindrical shells used in engineering applications are often susceptible to failure by elastic buckling. Most experimental and theoretical research on shell buckling relates only to simple and relatively uniform stress states, but many practical load cases involve stresses that vary significantly throughout the structure. The buckling strength of an imperfect shell under relatively uniform compressive stresses is often much lower than that under locally high stresses, so the lack of information and the need for conservatism have led standards and guides to indicate that the designer should use the buckling stress for a uniform stress state even when the peak stress is rather local. However, this concept leads to the use of much thicker walls than is necessary to resist buckling, so many knowledgeable designers use very simple ideas to produce safe but unverified designs. Unfortunately, very few scientific studies of shell buckling under locally elevated compressive stresses have ever been undertaken. The most critical case is that of the cylinder in which locally high axial compressive stresses develop extending over an area that may be comparable with the characteristic size of a buckle. This paper explores the buckling strength of an elastic cylinder in which a locally high axial membrane stress state is produced far from the boundaries (which can elevate the buckling strength further) and adjacent to a serious geometric imperfection. Care is taken to ensure that the stress state is as simple as possible, with local bending and the effects of internal pressurization eliminated. The study includes explorations of different geometries, different localizations of the loading, and different imperfection amplitudes. The results show an interesting distinction between narrower and wider zones of elevated stresses. The study is a necessary precursor to the development of a complete design rule for shell buckling strength under conditions of locally varying axial compressive stress.
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February 2011
Research Papers
Buckling of Thin Cylindrical Shells Under Locally Elevated Compressive Stresses
J. Michael Rotter,
J. Michael Rotter
Institute for Infrastructure & Environment,
e-mail: m.rotter@ed.ac.uk
University of Edinburgh
, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
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Minjie Cai,
Minjie Cai
Scott Wilson Ltd
, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow G4 0HF, UK
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J. Mark F. G. Holst
J. Mark F. G. Holst
Ingenieurbüro Holst
, Philosophenweg 31, 22763 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Michael Rotter
Institute for Infrastructure & Environment,
University of Edinburgh
, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UKe-mail: m.rotter@ed.ac.uk
Minjie Cai
Scott Wilson Ltd
, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow G4 0HF, UK
J. Mark F. G. Holst
Ingenieurbüro Holst
, Philosophenweg 31, 22763 Hamburg, GermanyJ. Pressure Vessel Technol. Feb 2011, 133(1): 011204 (11 pages)
Published Online: December 22, 2010
Article history
Received:
June 7, 2010
Revised:
September 20, 2010
Online:
December 22, 2010
Published:
December 22, 2010
Citation
Rotter, J. M., Cai, M., and Holst, J. M. F. G. (December 22, 2010). "Buckling of Thin Cylindrical Shells Under Locally Elevated Compressive Stresses." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. February 2011; 133(1): 011204. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4002771
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