Thermal buckling of axially precompressed cylindrical shells irradiated bylaser beam

When a powerful laser beam irradiates a thin-walled missile structure, the temperature of the irradiated region increases rapidly, which results in co mpressive thermal stresses being developed together with softening of the s hell wall. Theoretical predictions of the buckling resistance of isotropic plates and shells, subjected to axial compression loading and a laser-induc ed nonuniform temperature field, have been developed and are presented, Mat erial properties are assumed to be temperature dependent, which results in the thermal-buckling behavior being nonlinear with respect to temperature. Theoretical predictions are presented for a cylindrical shell subjected to axial compression loading and irradiated by a powerful laser beam. These sh ow that the buckling resistance was significantly reduced hy the combined a ction of axial compression loading and laser irradiation. Hence, it is like ly that sudden buckling-induced failure may occur that can cause failure of highly optimized, lightweight cylindrical shells.