Stability of three-layered cylindrical shells under external pressure on the basis of a three-dimensional formulation

Abstract

The stability of three-layered cylindrical shells under the influence of axial compression was examined in [1-3] with the use of three-dimensional relations of the theory of elasticity for the filler. In [4, 5], three-dimensional relations of elasticity theory were used not only for the filler but for the bearing layers too. In all of the studies mentioned above, the subcritical state was determined on the basis of approximate relations. This is permissible mainly in the case of axial compression. In the case of external pressure, a more accurate analysis is necessary of the distribution of subcritical stresses through the thickness of the shell particularly for thick-walled shells. Thus, here we use a three-dimensional formulation to describe both the perturbed and subcritical states of a shell.