Torsional buckling of an elastic thick-walled tube made of rubber-like material

The elastic stability of a rubber-like, thick-walled tube which is subjected to finite torsional deformation is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The analysis is based on the theory of finite elastic deformations, in cojunction with the method of small displacements superposed on large elastic deformations. The governing field equations are solved by a numerical scheme which determines the critical buckling torque and the associated buckling mode of the tube. The predicted results compare closely with the experimental measurements of the buckling of thick-walled silicone rubber tubes tested under finite twist.