Compression Tests on Cylinders with Circumferential Weld Depressions
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 126, Issue 4
Abstract
The behavior of thin cylindrical shells under axial compression is very sensitive to imperfections in the initial geometry. Local axisymmetric imperfections are among the most detrimental and have been shown to be a regular feature of circumferentially welded joints in civil engineering shell structures such as steel silos and tanks. Many of the experiments on which current design rules are based were performed on elastic Mylar, copper, or aluminum specimens, which have some very different characteristics to those of steel shells. Furthermore, very few laboratory tests have ever examined the consequences of fabrication processes on shell buckling strength, although these strongly influence the amplitudes and forms of geometric imperfections. This paper presents the findings of a careful experimental program on large steel cylinders fabricated with a fully welded circumferential joint. Thorough measurements were made of the initial imperfections and their transformation into a buckling mode. The results are compared with elastic-plastic finite-element predictions and the most recent design standard.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 126 • Issue 4 • April 2000
Pages: 405 - 413
History
Received: Mar 1, 1999
Published online: Apr 1, 2000
Published in print: Apr 2000
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