Computational Buckling Analysis Of Shells: Theories And Practice.

Abstract

Shell buckling problems belong to the class of geometrically nonlinear behavior,
and may be coupled with material nonlinearity of the shell. There are many general-purpose
finite element programs that perform geometric and material nonlinear analysis of shells;
however, this does not mean that a user can feed data and collect reliable results without a
full understanding of the physics of the problem. This paper discusses the theories involved in
the explanation and classification of phenomena, and in the prediction of results. Next, those
approaches are considered in the practical analysis of one shell form, namely thin-walled
steel tanks used to store oil. Results have been obtained with the general-purpose package
ABAQUS, and they tend to show that their interpretation requires the use of Koiter’s theory in
order to make sense of what is obtained. Some thoughts on possible ways to implement Croll’s
lower bound reduced energy approach in practice are given.