BENCHMARK 3-DIMENSIONAL ELASTICITY SOLUTIONS FOR THE BUCKLING OF THICK ORTHOTROPIC CYLINDRICAL-SHELLS

Benchmark solutions to the problem of buckling of orthotropic cylindri cal shells, which are based on the three-dimensional theory of elastic ity, are presented in this review article. It is assumed that the shel l is under external pressure or axial compression or a combination of these loadings. These solutions provide a means of accurately assessin g the limitations of the various shell theories in predicting critical loads. A comparison with some classical shell theories shows that the classical shell theories may produce, in general, highly nonconservat ive results on the critical load of composite shells with thick constr uction. One noteworthy exception: the Timoshenko shell buckling equati ons produce conservative results under pure axial compression. Copyrig ht (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited