Analysis of the Collapse of Cylindrical Shells Using High-Speed Photography

The primary load-carrying member in many structures, particularly in the aerospace industry, is the Cylindrical shell. In the design of these shells, buckling load calculations play a major role in determining the load-carrying capacity of the structure under compressive loading. To perform an analysis experimentally, high-speed framing photography is used. A combined theoretical and experimental program was undertaken to investigate the behavior of photoelastic cylindrical shells of circular and elliptical cross-section subjected to static and dynamic axial loading. By recording the change in the photoelastic isoclinic patterns (which characterize the collapse modes of the cylinders) at framing rates up to 5000 pictures/s using a 16mm Hycam camera, a comparbon of these patterns with theory was possible. Theoretical and experimental results clearly demonstrate the variation in collapse modes of cylinders as a function of their cross-section, shape imperfections and rate of axial loading.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1971-06

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J05787