On the elastic buckling of cross-ply composite closed cylindrical shell under hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

This paper focuses on the elastic buckling of cross-ply composite closed cylindrical shell subjected to hydrostatic pressure. The analytical model for buckling of composite cylindrical shell is derived by using the First Order Shear Deformation Theory (FOSDT) and considering the pressure stiffness. Several types of shells including thin, thick, long, and short shells are investigated. Two composite materials i.e. Carbon/Epoxy and Glass/Epoxy and several layup configurations are employed. The results of the derived FOSDT-based model are compared with those obtained from a Shell Buckling Equation (SBE) used in earlier studies and the Classical Shell Theory (CST). For verification, the results of the derived FOSDT-based model are compared with the results found in literature and also with the results obtained from finite element analysis. The difference among the results of the SBE and FOSDT, and the CST and FOSDT increases with the increase of the thickness in the case of all layup configurations and materials. For thin shells, the difference between the results of the CST and FOSDT almost vanishes, while for thin and large shells, the difference between the results of the SBE and FOSDT is still significant.