Experiments on the postbuckling behavior of circular cylindrical shells under compression

Detailed experimental studies are performed on the postbuckling behavior of circular cylindrical shells under compression, by using polyester test cylinders with the geometric parameterZ ranging from 20 to 1000. In each case, variations of the equilibrium load, circumferential wave number and maximum inward and outward deflections, with applied edge shortenings, are clarified. Contour lines for typical postbuckling configurations are also shown. It is found that, as the cylinder is compressed beyond the primary buckling, secondary bucklings take place successively with diminishing wave numbers, and that postbuckling equilibrium loads become significantly lower than those at buckling asZ increases. Further, for short shells withZ≦100, the buckled waveforms are always symmetric with one-tier diamond buckles, while for longer shells, asymmetric postbuckling patterns with two tiers of buckles dominate.