Buckling of cross-ply cylinders under hydrostatic pressure considering pressure stiffness

Buckling behavior of cross-ply cylinders under hydrostatic pressure is investigated using a semi-analytical finite element based on a consistent first order shear deformable shell theory. Potential loss due to external pressure, also called pressure stiffness (PS) is taken into account by making use of Koiter's related energy expression. A number of verification problems are solved and the numerical results are compared with the analytical results available in the literature and excellent agreement is observed. New numerical results are presented to assess the effect of PS on buckling due to hydrostatic pressure. It is shown that PS causes a decrease in the buckling load and this decrease depends on the size of the cylinder and the material. Also, issues related to thickness optimization are examined and optimal lamina thicknesses are determined for a number of cases with and without PS taken into account. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.