Experimental and numerical buckling analysis of carbon fiber composite cylindrical shells under external pressure

Abstract

The buckling behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite cylindrical shells under uniform external pressure was investigated experimentally and numerically. Eight composite cylindrical shells with different length–diameter ratios and ply angles were designed and fabricated. The geometry, wall thickness, inner diameter and length of each cylindrical shell were measured, as well as the material properties of the corresponding sheet. All the composite cylindrical shells were subjected to external pressure in a pressure chamber, and the load and final collapsed mode were recorded. Nonlinear buckling analyses with geometric imperfection were performed according to the measured data; the numerical and experimental results were found to be consistent. Moreover, the effects of the length–diameter ratio, ply angle, and geometric imperfection on the buckling behavior of composite cylindrical shell were investigated numerically.