Buckling of Reinforced Concrete Shells

When the designers of reinforced concrete shell structures consider buckling, they have to apply data derived from elastic analyses or elastic model tests to a nonelastic material. The research described was designed to reduce the uncertainties involved by investigating the effect of tension cracking and nonlinearity on the buckling of concrete shells. The information desired was obtained experimentally by comparing the buckling of reinforced mortar models to geometrically similar models fabricated from plastics. The program included tests on 4 long-span single-barrel cylindrical roof shells, on 5 shallow spherical caps, and on 11 cylindrical panels. The results from the cylindrical shells and spherical caps are summarized, while the cylindrical panel tests are described in some detail. The complete curve for interaction of axial and circumferential buckling was established for the cylindrical panels. Conclusions are made about the use of appropriate models in buckling studies, and on the effects of tension cracking and nonlinearity in concrete shells.