Investigation of the Buckling Behavior of Thin-Walled Conical Steel Shells Subjected to a Uniform External Pressure

Abstract

Thin-walled shell structures are light weight with high strength which is a result of their useful structural form. These shells are used as the roof of tanks and the evacuator of metal silos and their failures occur while discharging off suction tanks. The buckling capacity of these shells depends on two geometric parameters, which are the ratio of the length to the radius of the cone (L/R) and the ratio of the radius to thickness (R/t). This study analyzed the finite element (FE) models of the test specimens using the Abaqus finite element software under a uniform external pressure and being inspired by the results of nonlinear analysis of Riks; the supporting setup has been suggested by the author and it was built after necessary designs. Three specimens examined by the FE software were tested in the laboratory under the author’s proposed setup. Finally, experimental results as well as numerical and theoretical modeling were compared in which a good agreement was found. The results obtained are capable of generalizing and verifying the data of conical steel shells of a real scale.