Instability Analysis of Cylindrical Shells Under Hydrostatic Pressure

To determine the elastic buckling pressure of simply supported cylindrical shells subjected to lateral end axial hydrostatic forces, various versions of linear bending theories have been employed in the past. For certain shell dimensions, however the expressions commonly
used may yield substantially differing results. In what follows, recent work on this problem by A. E. Armenakas and the writer is briefly reviewed. This work consisted primarily in employing a general
bending theory of circular cylindrical shells under the influence of initial stress, developed earlier by the same authors, to re-examine the problem mentioned, and compare the results with those of previous investigations. The outcome was the establishment of a simple but accurate expression for the buckling pressure applicable to a wide range of shell dimensions.