Abstract: | Forms of bulging of cylindrical shells prepared from polymeric materials caused by the action of a constant compressing load in the direction of the generatrix are discussed. The functions of the initial irregularities and the additional radial deflection and stresses are characterized by the Fourier series in a complex representation. When the problem in a geometrically and physically nonlinear formulation was solved, it was found that the form of the deformed surface is transformed, and the bulging of the shell at the critical instant takes place asymmetrically. This agrees with the experimental results. |