Experimental investigations on the collapse of spiral-stiffened cylindrical shells under external hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive experimental investigation into the collapse behavior of spiral stiffened cylindrical shells under external hydrostatic pressure. Spiral stiffened cylindrical shells with two different pitches and cylindrical shells were designed and fabricated. The fabricated specimens were divided into three groups. Each group has two identical specimens. Test specimens were welded from stainless steel. The shell was formed by cold bending, and the spiral ribs were welded to the surface of the shell to form a spiral stiffened cylindrical shell. Measurements of initial geometric imperfections and shell thickness were performed on the fabricated specimens to verify the accuracy of fabricating. Subsequently, the specimens were placed in a pressure chamber and pressurized until collapsed to obtain the ultimate collapse pressure and collapse modes. In addition, a uniaxial tensile test was conducted on the shell material to obtain its material properties. Experimental results indicated that the fabricated specimens had excellent repeatability and reasonable precision. The presence of a spiral rib effectively boosted the ultimate collapse pressure of the cylindrical shell with a more pronounced strengthening effect observed as the rib density increased.