Chapter 4 - Structural behavior of conical shells

Abstract

Conical shells occur frequently as components of deep submersibles. Often they are joined to either cylindrical or spherical shells. Hydrostatically loaded conical shells are often reinforced by circumferential rings. Often the conical shell is securely attached, perhaps welded, to some adjacent, coaxial, shell such as a cylinder or a sphere or possibly to a heavy reinforcing ring. Hydrostatically loaded conical shells are often reinforced by circumferential rings and may buckle elastically, plastically, or into the elasto-plastic range of action. The buckled shape of a truncated conical shell consists of a number of dents (lobes) of depth measured normal to the undeformed shell surface at least several times the shell thickness. The lobes extend from one end of the truncated cone to the other and are rather regularly spaced around the circumference of the shell. Because of initial geometric imperfections in the shell prior to loading, thickness variations occurring during production of the sheet metal from which the cone is fabricated, and possible small amplitude vibrations occurring during testing, the entire circumference may not be filled with lobes.