Numerical and Experimental Investigations on Cylindrical Shells Subjected to External Pressure

Cylindrical shells are widely used in various engineering applications, such as pressure vessels, tanks, silos and pipelines, where they are subjected to external pressure that can significantly affect their structural performance. Understanding the buckling behaviour of cylindrical shells under external pressure is essential to their safe and reliable design.The objective of the presented study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of numerical simulations in predicting the buckling behaviour of cylindrical shells under external pressure by comparing numerical results with experimental data. The numerical simulations were performed using the finite element program ANSYS, while the experimental tests were carried out on cylindrical shells under controlled external pressure.The comparative analysis focuses on key parameters such as deformation, buckling, and failure modes. The experimental results of unstiffened and ring stiffened cylindrical shells are compared in terms of load-displacement curves and failure patterns. The discrepancies between numerical and experimental data are analysed, and the potential reasons of these discrepancies are discussed. The comparative analysis highlights the importance of considering various factors, such as material properties, geometric imperfections and boundary conditions, in order to improve the accuracy of numerical predictions.The outcomes of the presented study contribute to enhancing the design and analysis methodologies given in the European design standards, e.g., EN 1993-1-6 and EN 1993-4-1, for designing cylindrical shells subjected to external pressure.