Elastic stability of thin-walled cylindrical and conical shells under combined external pressure and axial compression

Abstract

Nomenclature D = flexural stiff ness of shell wall Et*/[ 12(1 - */2)] E = Young's modulus of shell wall material L = axial length of cylinder or cone / = slant length of cone n = number of circumferential waves in cone buckled under external pressure n = number of circumferential waves in equivalent cylinder buckled under external pressure PO = critical axial compression load p = total axial load at buckling P = uniform internal or external hydrostatic pressure POT, PQ — critical external pressure pe = critical external pressure for equivalent cylinder R = cylinder radius RI = radius of small end of cone Rz = radius of large end of cone t = shell wall thickness a = semivertex angle of cone v = Poisson's ratio of wall material Pav = average radius of curvature of cone (Ri + Rz)/% coso;