Inelastic instability of circular corrugated cylinders under external hydrostatic pressure

This paper presents an investigation into the buckling of circular corrugated cylinders under uniform external pressure. Experimental results together with a theoretical finite element analysis were used to create a design chart for the estimation of inelastic non-symmetric bifurcation buckling pressures of corrugated cylinders under external hydrostatic pressure. The use of design charts like these is important in the design of novel submarine pressure hulls and is therefore of interest to both naval architects and pressure vessel designers. The work completed in this project was largely experimental but it also involved some computational analysis.