Nonlinear buckling analysis of hyperbolic cooling tower shell with ring-stiffeners

This paper is concerned with a numerical solution of hyperbolic cooling tower shell, a class of full nonlinear problems in solid mechanics of considerable interest in engineering applications. In this analysis, the post-buckling analysis of cooling tower shell with discrete fixed support and under the action of wind loads and dead load is studied. The influences of ring-stiffener on instability load are also discussed. In addition, a new solution procedure for nonlinear problems which is the combination of load increment iteration with modified R-C are- length method is suggested. Finally, some conclusions having important significance for practice engineering are given.The Project Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China.