Experiments on the postbuckling behavior of circular cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure

Detailed experimental studies are performed on the postbuckling behavior of circular cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure, by using lap-jointed polyester test cylinders with radius 100 mm, thickness 0.25 mm and lengths ranging from 23 to 165 mm. Connections of the edge shortening and radial displacement with applied pressures as well as wave forms for typical postbuckling configurations are determined for various values of the shell curvature parameterZ ranging from 20 to 1000. It is found that the buckling pressure and the corresponding wave number for each cylinder compare favorably with those theoretically predicted, and that the minimum pressure after buckling decreases with the increase inZ, until it becomes about 70 percent of the theoretical buckling pressure for long shells withZ greater than 200.