Stability of confined thin-walled steel cylinders under external pressure

The present paper investigates the structural stability of thin-walled steel cylinders surrounded by an elastic medium, subjected to uniform external pressure. A two-dimensional model is developed, assuming no variation of load and deformation along the cylinder axis. The cylinder and the surrounding medium are simulated with nonlinear finite elements that account for both geometric and material nonlinearities. Cylinders of elastic material within a rigid boundary are considered first, and the numerical results are compared successfully with available closed-form analytical predictions. Subsequently, the external pressure response of confined thin-walled steel cylinders is examined, in terms of the initial out-of-roundness of the cylinder, the initial gap between the cylinder and the medium, and the stiffness of the surrounding medium. Numerical results are presented in the form of pressure-deformation equilibrium paths, and show a rapid drop of pressure after reaching the maximum pressure level, as well as a significant imperfection sensitivity. A plastic-hinge mechanism is developed that results in a closed-form expression and illustrates the post-buckling response of the cylinder in an approximate manner. The distributions of plastic deformation, as well as the variation of cylinder-medium contact pressure around the cylinder cross-section are also depicted and discussed. Furthermore, the effects of uniform vertical preloading on the maximum pressure sustained by the cylinder are examined. Finally, the numerical results show good comparison with a simplified closed-form expression, proposed elsewhere, which could be used for design purposes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.