Buckling Behavior of Elliptical Shells of Changing Thickness under Uniform Axial Compression

Abstract

Many elliptical shells are used in structural applications in which the dominant loading condition is axial compression. Due to the fact that the radius varies along the cross-section midline, the buckling behavior is more difficult to identify than those of cylindrical shells. The general concerned aspects in cylindrical shell buckling analyses such as the buckling mode, the pre-buckling deformation and post-buckling deformation are all quite different related to specific elliptical shell geometry. The buckling behavior of elliptical cylindrical shells with uniform thickness has been widely studied by many researchers. However, the thickness around the circumference may change for some specific structural forms, the femoral neck for example, which makes the buckling behavior more complex. It is known that the buckling strength of thin cylindrical shells is quite sensitive to imperfections, so it is natural to explore the imperfection sensitivity of elliptical shells. This paper explores the buckling behavior of imperfect elliptical shells under axial compression. It is hoped that the results will make a useful contribution in this field.