On buckling of axisymmetric thin elastic-plastic shells

A buckling criterion for shells with an axisymmetric middle surface and subjected to edge loads and hydrostatic surface pressure loading is formulated starting from Hill's three-dimensional continuum theory for uniqueness of deformation of inelastic solids. It turns out that a physically consistent two-dimensional set of equations may be derived for a quite general class of strain-hardening elastic-plastic solids, the only essential restriction being that of a smooth yield function. The intrinsic errors inherent in the derived rate equations, being an integral part of an eigenvalue problem, are discussed in relation to a circular cylinder under axial compression. Analytical results are given which illustrate the influence of the constitutive properties and the boundary contraints on the magnitude of the critical load.