Elasto-plastic stability of circular cylindrical shells subjected to axial load, varying as a power function of time

Stability of a cylindrical shell subject to a uniform axial compression, which is a power function of time, is examined within the framework of small strain elasto-plasticity. The material of the shell is incompressible and the effect of the elastic unloading is considered. Initially, employing the infinitesimal. elastic-plastic deformation theory, the fundamental relations and Donnell type stability equations for a cylindrical shell have been obtained. Then, employing Galerkin's method, those equations have been reduced to a time dependent differential equation with variable coefficient. Finally, for two initial conditions applying a Ritz type variational method, the critical static and dynamic axial loads, the corresponding wave numbers and dynamic factor,have been found. Using those results, the effects of the variations of loading parameters and the variations of power of time in the axial load expression as well as the variations of the radius to thickness ratio on the critical parameters of the shells for two initial conditions are also elucidated. Comparing results With those in the literature validates the present analysis.