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An experimental investigation into the buckling of cylindrical shells of variable-wall thickness under radial external pressure

Paper describes models tested and discusses the results of the experiments conducted by the authors

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Abstract

Cylindrical shells, with wall thickness-to-diameter ratios varying in steps from 1:2000 to 1:500 are used in large floating-roof storage tanks, where buckling under partial vacuum is a potential risk. To examine the validity of several methods of analysis, aluminum models with a nominal diameter of 150 mm were tested. Some models exhibited a sudden buckling, at the pressure predicted by one of the methods of analysis, others deformed at increased rate as the critical pressure was approached. A gradual change in, modal-buckling pattern, under decreasing pressure, was also observed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford University, OX13PJ, Oxford, U.K.

    Z. Malik (Research Student), J. Morton (Research Assistant) & C. Ruiz (Lecturer in Engineering)

Authors
  1. Z. Malik
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  2. J. Morton
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  3. C. Ruiz
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Malik, Z., Morton, J. & Ruiz, C. An experimental investigation into the buckling of cylindrical shells of variable-wall thickness under radial external pressure. Experimental Mechanics 19, 87–92 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324196

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324196

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