The buckling and vibration of tube-stiffened axisymmetric shells under external hydrostatic pressure

The paper reports on a theoretical and an experimental investigation into t he buckling and vibration of prolate hemi-ellipsoidal tube-stiffened domes under external water pressure. The theoretical analyses were via the finite element method, where both the fluid and the structure were modelled with finite elements. The dome was modelled with a varying meridional curvature element and with eight displacement degrees of freedom and the water was mo delled by solid annular elements where each element had eight pressure degr ees of freedom in its cross-section. Comparison was good between experiment and theory. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.