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Stability of oval cylindrical shells

Experimental investigation of initial and ultimate buckling loads of fixed-end, oval cylindrical shells under axial compresion

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Abstract

Elastic buckling under aial compression of finite, oval cylindrical shells with clamped boundaries was investigated experimentally.

The determination of the buckling strength was made on a series of oval shells made of Mylar A. The test results indicated that the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental initial buckling loads for the ovals is similar to that of the circular cylindrical shells. However, in contrast to the circular case, a collapse load significantly exceeding the initial buckling load is observed in the case of ovals with moderate-to-large eccentricity.

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Abbreviations

a, b :

semi-minor and semi-major axes of oval, respectively

E :

Young's modulus of elasticity

h :

uniform wall thickness

L 0 :

circumferential lengthof the median line of the oval cross section

L 1 :

axial length of the cylinder

R=r/r 0 :

nondimensionalized local radius of curvature of the oval cross section

r :

local radius of curvature of the cross section of the underformed middle surface of the shell

r 0=L 0/2(π):

radius of the equivalent circular cylinder

S=s/L 0 :

nondimensionalized circumferential coordinate

u, v, w :

axial, circumferential and inward radial displacements of a point on the middle surface of the shell, respecitvely

x, s, z :

axial, circumferential and radial coordinates, respectively, of any point in the oval shell, and defined according to an orthogonal curvilinear frame of reference

θ in =σ in /σ o :

axial stress parameter at initial buckling

θ c =σ c /σ o :

axial stress parameter at collapse load

ν:

Poisson's ratio

ξ:

measure of oval eccentricity

σ o =Eh/{[3(1-ν2]1/2 r o :

Buckling stress of an infinite circular cylinder of radiusr 0 under axial compression

σ in :

average intensity of axial compressive load at initial buckling

σ c :

average intensity of axial load at collapse

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 11201, Brooklyn, N. Y.

    G. Feinstein (Reserach Associate), B. Erickson (Professor of Aerospace Engineering) & J. Kempner (Professor and Head)

Authors
  1. G. Feinstein
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  2. B. Erickson
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  3. J. Kempner
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Feinstein, G., Erickson, B. & Kempner, J. Stability of oval cylindrical shells. Experimental Mechanics 11, 514–520 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02327691

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