Buckling of Thick Orthotropic Cylindrical Shells Under External Pressure

Abstract

An elasticity solution to the problem of buckling of orthotropic cylindrical shells subjected to external pressure is presented. In this context, the structure is considered a three-dimensional body. The results show that the shell theory predictions can produce nonconservative results on the critical load of composite shells with moderately thick construction. The solution provides a means of accurately assessing the limitations of shell theories in predicting stability loss.