Some effects of rib-reinforcement arrangement on spherical-dome buckling

Abstract

This paper describes some experiments conducted on some similar pressure-loaded deep-clamped thin spherical domes in order to assess the effects of different internal rib-reinforcement distributions on their buckling and collapse behavior. In the tests, several equal-weight internal-rib-reinforcement arrangements following conventionally adopted arch/hoop layout patterns around the shell membrane, have been compared with some new ‘equivalent’, rib arrangements. It has been found that, in the main, the rib layout used has little effect on the final collapse pressure obtainable. In one exceptional case, however, involving one of the new rib arrangements, significantly higher collapse pressures were observed to occur. The enhancement of the collapse load in this case appeared to depend on the formation of large local inter-rib buckles of the shell membrane in the boundary region.