Buckling of externally pressurized cylindrical shell: A comparison of theoretical and experimental data

Abstract

This study examined the buckling of unstiffened cylindrical shells under external pressure. Six stainless steel cylindrical shell specimens were tested, with a length-to-radius ratio, L/R, ranging from 1 to 7. The wall thickness, diameter, axial length, and geometry of each specimen and the material properties of the corresponding sheets were measured. All cylindrical specimens were subjected to external pressure in a pressure chamber; the buckling load and final collapsed mode were recorded. This paper presents a comparison among theoretical calculations, finite element (FE) results, and experimental data for externally pressurized cylindrical shells. In the numerical calculations, true geometry, average wall thicknesses, and elastic–perfectly plastic modeling were considered. Deviation between theoretical and FE results was 0%to − 22%, and it increased with the length-to-radius ratio. Experimental results are consistent with FE results, with deviation of 2–9%, and final collapsed modes of all shells are consistent.