Buckling localization in a cylindrical panel under axial compression

Localization of an initially periodic buckling pattern is investigated for an axially compressed elastic-plastic cylindrical panel of the type occurri ng between axial stiffeners on cylindrical shells. The phenomenon of buckli ng localization and its analogy with plastic flow localization in tensile t est specimens is discussed in general. For the cylindrical panel, it is sho wn that buckling localization develops shortly after a maximum load has bee n attained, and this occurs for a purely elastic panel as well as for elast ic-plastic panels. In a case where localization occurs after a load maximum , but where subsequently the load starts to increase again, it is found tha t near the local load minimum, the buckling pattern switches back to a peri odic type of pattern. The inelastic material behavior of the panel is descr ibed in terms of J(2) corner theory, which avoids the sometimes unrealistic ally high buckling loads predicted by the simplest flow theory of plasticit y. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.