Section 4.

2 129

Barlag, S.; Rothert, H.

A Nomogram for the Calculation of the Buckling Pressure of Ring-reinforced

Cylindrical Shells under Uniform External Pressure

For the estimation of non-linear numerical calculations, for example with the Finite Element Method, a procedure
is useful to approach fast and directly the ideal buckling pressure and the critical buckling form. For this reason a
nomogram is developed in order to pick off directly and fast the ideal buckling pressure and the appropriate circum-
ferential wave number. It is based on the stability equations for an orthotropic cylindrical shell. Alternatively some
approximation functions are developed from the nomogram to get the critical circumferential wave number and the
ideal buckling pressure.

1. Theoretical derivation

A small-deflection theory for the buckling of orthotropic stiffened cylinders which includes eccentricity effects in the
stiffeners is derived from the more exact displacement functions as Flügge indicated in [2] for an isotropic cylindrical
shell. The strains arise from the displacement functions as a result of the partial derivatives by x and ϕ. This
equations can also be used for the orthotropic structure if z is replaced by the sum of the eccentricity and the
variable rigid coordinate zL or zR for the respective type of stiffener (see figure 1).

z, w t z
u(z) = u− w,x
x, u j, v R

dR eL v w,ϕ
dL v(z) = v − w dϕ − z +
R R
tR z, w
zL w(z) = w (1)
eR tL
zR R u,ϕ w,xϕ
γ1 (z) = −z
t (R − z) R (R − z)
R

v,x v,x w,xϕ
γ2 (z) = −z + 2
R R2 R
Figure 1: Geometry and displacement functions

Taking into account linear elastic material behaviour the relationship of plane stress is valid for the shell and single-
axial stress according to the beam theory for the stiffeners. The governing equations for internal loads consist
additively of the integration of the stresses for the individual layers in the z-direction. The terms which result from
the integration of the stiffeners are divided by the width between the stiffeners bL or bR . The formulation of the
equilibrium in the deformed status is identical for isotropic and orthotropic cylinders. Three partial differential
equations are obtained after inclusion of the internal load functions into the conditions of equilibrium, for details
see [1]. For a simpler numerical handling this set of equations can be represented in a matrix form like

[ A + q o R Q + po P ] x = 0 , (2)

with qo , po = value of external radial or axial pressure, Q, P = coefficient matrices of the external loading and x =
unknown displacement vector of the additional variables. The known trigonometric functions for the displacements
which satisfy the classical boundary conditions are used to solve the differential equations. A special linear eigenvalue
problem can be formulated depending on the type of loading and the critical type of load being sought. The smallest
eigenvalue represents the critical buckling pressure. It is valid
 −1 
for axial pressure: A + qo R Q P − λcr 1 x = 0 , (3)
 
−1
for external pressure: (A + po P) Q − λcr 1 x = 0. (4)
130 PAMM, Proc. Appl. Math. Mech. 1 (2002)

2. Nomogram and approximation functions

If the buckling condition is analysed in such a way that the referred critical buckling pressure and the shell slenderness
L/R are included in a double logarithmic scale over the unit-free geometrical curve parameter k, then the connection
between the ideal buckling pressure qki and the critical circumferential wave number ncrit can be represented in an
easy way (see figure 2).

with
k = 0.2

k = 0.3
k = 0.4
k = 0.5
k = 0.6
k = 0.8
k = 1.0

L t
k= R R
10 radial pressure
210000 / E REAL * q ki / (1 + 10.92 I ref)0.75

IR tR d3R
uniform external pressure Iref = bR t3 , IR = 12

valid for
1 0.1 < Iref < 100
0.1 < k < 1.0
Parameters for example:
0.1
Iref = 0.251
EREAL = 203400 N/mm2
0.04

ν = 0.3 qexp = 0.069 N/mm2

0.01 nexp = 5
0.1 1 L / R = 4.5 10 100
Results from nomogram:
k = 0.536
qki = 0.104 N/mm2
n crit * I ref0.125 11 6 5 3 2 ncrit = 5
4
Figure 2: Nomogram for the determination of the critical buckling values of ring-stiffened cylinders

In order to illustrate the application, the necessary input values and the results for the experimentally examined
cylinder RVL5 (see [3]) are entered in the nomogram.
The following approximation functions can be used alternatively to the nomogram to determine the buckling
values in an easy way. The first term in the brackets of equation 5 describes the influence of the radial pressure due
to the ideal buckling pressure and the second term the influence of axial loading.


2 t2 E k 1.8 − k 1.65 R t  
L R
0.75 2.21 exp 0.14 k
q ki =  0.83 (1 + 10.92 Iref ) , ncrit = 0.125 . (5)
3LR L k 0.434 Iref
R

3. Summary

In this article a procedure was presented to get in a fast and direct way an estimation of the buckling load and the
appropriate critical circumferential wave number in the phase of preliminary design. This values are useful input
parameters for a subsequent non-linear numerical calculation, for example with the Finite Element Method.

4. References

1 Barlag, S.; Rothert, H.: An Idealization Concept for the Stability Analysis of Ring-Reinforced Cylindrical Shells under
External Pressure with the Finite Element Method. To be published in: Int. Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics (2001).
2 Flügge, W.: Die Stabilität der Kreiszylinderschale. Ingenieurarchiv 3 (1932), S.463–506.
3 Schmidt, H.; Düsing, I.: Beulversuche an stählernen Kreiszylinderschalen mit angeschweißten Ringsteifen unter Außen-
druckbelastung. Foschungsbericht 70, Universität GH Essen (1996).

Dipl.-Ing. S. Barlag, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. H. Rothert

Institut für Statik, Universität Hannover, Appelstraße. 9a, 30167 Hannover, Germany.