Cylindrical shells under uniform external pressure

161

x,u y,v z,w r t

5.0 4.73 4.5 l c 3.93 b K2 /K1 = 1 K1 K2 /K1 = 0 K1 3.0 K2

CM
K x nX,u BC: w = v = 0 nx = Ku 4.0

a 3.5

10

20 K1l Et

30

40

50

60

Figure 5.6 Medium-length cylinder under uniform external pressure effect of elastic axial restraint at the boundaries.

Therefore, also the effect of elastic axial restraint at the boundaries, for example, by axial spring constants K (kN/cm/cm), can easily be accounted for by similar CM -factors (see Greiner 1976) (Fig. 5.6). Band pressure loading The load case of uniform pressure acting in the form of a band around the circumference can be treated similarly as in the previous section, since the effect of the unloaded part of the shell may be considered like a compatibility or boundary condition. The results of such an approach are presented in Fig. 5.7 according to Greiner (1975) for medium-length cylinders. For b/l approaching unity the buckling resistance accesses the classical buckling pressure of the fully loaded shell. The results are in good accordance with the original work of Almroth and Brush (1961). Real buckling resistance, effect of imperfections The real buckling resistance of uniformly pressurised shells is affected by imperfections in a relatively moderate way, if compared with the high imperfection sensitivity of shells under axial compression. This may be explained by the big difference of the dimensions of the buckles in the two cases. The large buckles due to external pressure have a big curvature, which is only moderately impaired by the geometrical predeformations, while the small curvature of the narrow buckling pattern due to axial compression may be of the same size as the pre-deformations.