LONGITUDINALLY STlFFENED THIN-WALLED 

PLYWOOD CYLINDERS IN AXIAL 

COMPRESSION 

April 1948 

This Report is One of a Series 

Issued In Cooperation with the 

ARMY-NAVY-CIVIL COMMITTEE 

on 

AlRCRAFT DESIGN CRITERIA 

Under the Supervision of the 

AERONAUTICAL BOARD 

No. 1562 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

FOREST SERVICE 

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 

Madison 5, Wisconsin 

In Cooperation with the University of Wisconsin 
----- 

LONGITUDINALLY STIFFENED THIN-WALLED PLYWOOD 

CYLINDERS IN AXIAL COMPRESSION1 

By EDWARD W. KUENZI, Engineer 

and 

C. B. NORRIS, Engineer 

Summary 

Results are presented on tests of 1,050 specimens of longitudinally 

stiffened thin-walled plywood cylinders in axial compression. The specinens 

were cylindrical shells of thin plywood (approximately 0.05 inch thick) 18 

inches in diameter with inner longitudinal stiffeners of veneer, plywood, or 

solid wood. The stiffener thicknesses varied from 1/48 inch to 1 inch, the 

spacings between stiffeners from 1/4 inch to 6 inches, and the number of stiffeners from 9 to 28. 

The test data indicate that tho average shell buckles at tho critical 

stress of a complete unstiffened cylinder, provided the spacing between its 

stiffeners is not too small and the stiffeners are sufficiently rigid. If the 

stiffeners are more closely spaced and sufficiently rigid, the buckling stress 

of the shell is greater than that of an unstiffened cylinder. No theory is 

presented regarding specimens with closely spaced, rigid stiffeners. 

Most of the failures occurred when the shell buckled. A few specimens 

having heavy stiffeners sustained loads subsequent to buckling of the shell 

and finally failed because of general instability. No theory is presented 

regarding the load at which general instability may occur. 

When the efficiency (ratio of load to weight) of stiffened shells was 

compared to that of unstiffened shells, it was found that an unstiffened shell 

having the same weight and curvature but greater thickness than the stiffened 

shell would theoretically buckle at the same, or greater, loads as the stiffened shell. This was particularly true if the stiffeners were heavy, in 

which case an unstiffened shell of the same weight was theoretically capable 

of supporting two to three times the initial buckling load of a stiffened 

shell. 

1

This progress report is one of a series prepared and distributed by the 

Forest Products Laboratory under U. S. Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics 

No. NBA-PO-NAer 00619, Amendment No. 1 and U. S. Air Force No. 

USAF-PO-(33-038)48-41E. Results here reported are preliminary and may 

be revised as additional data become available. 

Report No. 1562 -1-
Introduction 

At the time this work was begun at the Forest Products Laboratory (July 

1943). it was thought that more information on the behavior of longitudinally 

stiffened shells in axial compression was needed for the design of aircraft 

structures. Previous work at the Forest Products Laboratory on unstiffened 

shells showed that plywood is particularly useful in the experimental determination of tho buckling stresses of shell structures, since it is smooth and 

can be made thicker than metal shells of the same size and still exhibit 

buckling. Accordingly, plywood was used in the extensive series of specimens

included in the work covered by this report. 

A theoretical analysis applicable to a stiffened structure of this type 

should include the behavior of plates supported at the edges by stiffeners 

that are not rigid but that can bend and twist, but as an analysis of this 

sort would be exceedingly complicated.2 it was not included in the work covered 

by this report. 

Description of Specimens 

The specimens were circular shells of plywood 18 inches in diameter 

having stiffeners glued to their inner surfaces. All stiffeners were placed 

with their length parallel to the axis of the cylinder and were equally spaced 

around the circumference of the shell. The stiffeners were of three types, 

veneer, plywood, and solid woad. Tables 1 (cols. 16 to 17) and 2 (cols. 14 to 

16) give the size and number (col. 3) of stiffeners for each specimen. 

The plywood was made of yellow-poplar or yellow birch veneers of aircraft grade, rotary cut at the Forest Products Laboratory. All of the plywood 

was made by bonding the veneers with film glue set in a standard hot-plate 

veneer press. The two ends of the flat sheet that were to be later joined to 

form the circular shell were scarfed. The stiffeners of veneer and those of 

solid wood were then placed with their grain directions parallel to the axis 

of tho shell and were glued to the plywood in a hot-plate press. The sheet 

was finally bent to cylindrical form, and the scarf joint was glued with a 

thermosetting synthetic-resin glue. 

The plywood stiffeners were made of three plies, of which the face plies 

were 1/32 inch thick with their grain in the circumferential direction, and 

the core ply was 1/16 inch thick with its grain in the axial direction. They 

were bag molded to the curvature of the shell and finally glued to the shell 

by internal bag molding in a female mold. 

2Timoshenko, S. "Theory of Elastic Stability," p. 337, 1936. 

Ohwalla, E. Ingenieur-Archiv, vol. 5, p. 54, 1934. 

Report No. 1562 -2-
The ends of specimens having stiffeners 1/8 inch thick or less were 

cut square and true in a turning lathe. Those of specimens having thicker 

stiffeners were cut by placing the specimen on a mandrel and rotating it into 

a fine-toothed, circular, cross-cut saw. 

A stiffened plywood shell in which the face grain of the plywood is in 

the circumferential direction and the grain of the stiffeners in an axial 

direction will develop internal stresses if its moisture content is increased. 

Because the stiffeners do not expand so much in the axial direction of the 

shell as does the plywood shell, the shell is subjected to compression and the 

stiffeners to tension. If the change in moisture content is great enough, the 

compression in the shell will cause it to buckle between the stiffeners. 

Since a thin stiffener is stretched more easily than a heavy one, buckles in 

the plywood shell between stiffeners will not be so likely to appear in a 

shell having light stiffeners. Also, if the stiffeners are made of the sane 

plywood construction as that of the plywood shell, they will expand by the 

same amount as the shell and no stresses due to the expansion Will occur. 

Since the stiffeners were bonded to the shell by means of heat and 

pressure, the shell and the stiffeners were quite dry immediately. after manufacture. An attempt was made to condition all specimens to a constant weight 

in a controlled atmosphere of 64 percent relative humidity at a temperature 

of 75° F. Buckles in the plywood shell then appeared between the stiffeners 

that were 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, and 1 inch thick. The plywood of specimens 

having lighter stiffeners did not buckle. In order that smooth specimens could 

be tested, those that did buckle under conditioning were placed in a dry kiln 

until they became smooth, when they were tested immediately. 

Coupons of flat plywood were made of material cut from portions of the 

log adjacent to the portions used in making the corresponding cylindrical 

shell or corresponding plywood stiffener. 

Coupons of stiffeners thicker than 1/8 inch were cut from the ends of 

the stiffeners prior to gluing the stiffeners to the plywood shell. 

Coupons of stiffeners of veneer were made of veneers cut from portions 

of the log adjacent to the portions used in making the stiffeners. These were 

prepared for testing in compression by gluing together six 1- by 4-inch pieces 

The pieces were not glued over their entire surface but were only glued for a 

distance of 1/2 inch from each end. The resulting compression specimen was 

made up of six veneers having their ends glued together. Thus end failures 

during test were prevented. 

Each of the coupons received the same conditioning before test as that 

of the corresponding stiffened cylinder. 

Report No. 1562 
Methods of Testing 

All of the stiffened plywood cylinders, except those having 19 or 28 

stiffeners 1/2 by 1 inch in cross section, were tested in e hydraulic testing 

machine. Those excepted, being heavier specimens, were tested in a screwoperated testing machine of 1,000,000-pound capacity. 

The ends of each cylinder were fitted with external plywood rings, 

lightly clamped around the specimen. The purpose of these rings was to hold 

the shell to its circular shape. 

With the exception of the heavy specimens having 19 or 28 stiffeners 

1/2 by 1 inch in cross section, the cylinders, with end rings attached, were 

placed on a flat machined steel plate that rested on a spherical bearing on 

the bottom head of the testing machine. The top of the shell was allowed to 

bear on the machined surface of the upper head of the testing machine, A 

small initial load was applied. The bottom plate was then adjusted by 

tapping on its corners with a mallet. If the bearing was uniform, the 

initial load was sustained. If the bearing was not uniform, the load dropped. 

Then load was applied again and the bottom plate tapped. This procedure was 

continued until no drop in initial load occurred. Screw jacks in the form of 

bolts were then placed under the corners of the lower bearing plate to prevent its tilting during the test. The load was applied until failure occurred. 

The heavy specimens were tested in the same manner except that no 

spherical bearing was used. The ends of these specimens were brought to bear 

uniformly by using paper shims. 

Methods used to test the coupons are described in detail in the appendix 

of this report. 

Computation of Results 

In order to compare the buckling stress of a stiffened shell to the 

theoretical buckling stress of an unstiffened shell the buckling constant k 

was computed for each specimen. 

The buckling stress of a long plywood cylinder under axial compression 

is given by the formula:3 

where EL = modulus of elasticity of the veneers of the plywood, measured 

parallel to the grain. 

h = thickness of plywood. 

r = radius of curvature of cylinder. 

3This is formula (1) of Forest Products Laboratory Report No. 1322. 

Report No. 1562 -4-
If pp and ps denote the stress in the plywood shell and the stress in 

the stiffeners, respectively, and if it is assumed that deformations in the 

plywood shell and stiffeners are equal until buckling occurs, 

where P = 

Es = 

Ep = 

Ap = 

As = 

(1) (col. 20, table 1) 

(col. 19, table 2) 

and (2) (col. 21, table 1) 

(col. 20, table 2) 

load on the specimen. 

compressive modulus of elasticity of the stiffener in the 

axial direction. 

compressive modulus of elasticity of the plywood in the axial 

direction. 

cross-sectional area of plywood shell. 

sum of cross-sectional areas of the stiffeners. 

Values of Es and Ep were determined from compression tests of coupons. 

Then a value of k for any specimen can be found by the formula 

(3) (col, 22, table 1) 

(col. 21, table 2) 

Values of EL were determined from bending tests of coupons, and 

values of pp from equation (1). 

If the specimen is so short that < 1.5, the buckling constant will 

be higher than for a long specimen, In this inequality 

length of specimen. 

bending modulus of elasticity of the plywood in the axial 

direction. 

bending modulus of elasticity of the plywood in the circumferential direction. 

The effect of length on the buckling stress of unstiffened cylinders is discussed in Forest Products Laboratory Report No. 1514 (revised). The curve of 

that report showing for values of is repeated as figure 1 in this 

Report No. 1562 -5-
report. In order to compare values of buckling constants for short specimens, 

was computed by dividing the value of k as determined by formula 3 by the 

ratio of for the corresponding value of z given by figure 1. The only 

short specimens were several of those having Sitka spruce stiffeners, Data 

for these are given in table 1. 

In order to obtain a comparison with unstiffened shell6 of the same 

weight, the buckling stresses and buckling loads of equivalent unstiffened 

cylinders were computed by the following formulas: 

pp equiv. = 0.115 (4) (col. 25, table 1) 

(col. 23, table 2) 

P equiv. = 0.115 (5) (col. 26, table 1) 

(col. 24, table 2) 

These formulas are obtained from formula (1) of Forest Products 

Laboratory Report No. 1322. They assume that the stiffeners are replaced by 

material added to the original shell so that the cross-sectional area is the 

same as that of the total area of the stiffened specimen. Thus the equivalent 

thickness is . The mean radius of curvature is assumed to be the same 

as that of the stiffened shell. The modulus of elasticity EL is also assumed 

to be that of the stiffened shell. The constant k = 0.115 is that obtained 

from Forest Products Laboratory Report No. 1322 for all plywood having values 

of greater than 0.20 but less than 0.80. 

Presentation of Results 

The results of the tests are presented in tabular and graphical form. 

Table 1 contains the data obtained from tests of cylinders of yellowpoplar plywood stiffened with Sitka spruce stiffeners. Table 2 contains the 

data from tests of yellow birch plywood cylinders stiffened with yellow birch 

veneer, plywood, or solid-wood stiffeners. The values presented are averages 

of observed and computed values of groups of specimens. In addition to 

information relating to dimensions of the specimens, buckling loads, and the 

like, the tables contain the computed shell and stiffener stresses, the 

buckling constant k, the computed stresses of an equivalent unstiffened 

cylinder, ratios of the buckling load of an equivalent cylinder to that of 

the stiffened specimen, and compressive proportional-limit stresses of the 

shell and stiffener material. The computed values were obtained by using the 

formulas previously presented. They were computed for each specimen and then 

averaged, thus the tabulated values will not necessarily be obtained exactly 

if average observed values are used in the computations. 

Report No. 1562 -6-
Graphs showing the buckling constant plotted against the parameter 

where s is the space between the stiffeners, are presented in figures 

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Figure 2 shows the constant for yellow-poplar 

plywood cylinders stiffened with Sitka spruce stiffeners. Figures 3 to 8 

show the constant k for yellow birch plywood cylinders stiffened with 

1/48-inch veneers, 1/32-inch veneers, 1/24-inch veneers, 1/16-inch veneers, 

1/8-inch plywood, and 1/4- by 3/8-inch, 1/2, by 1/2-inch, and 1/2- by 1-inch 

birch stiffeners, respectively. 

Figure 9 shows frequency-distribution curves for the buckling constants 

Of the stiffened yellow birch plywood cylinders in compression. The number of 

occurrences of values of k are plotted versus the values of k for each different size of stiffener, and for all stiffeners. 

Discussion of Results 

Behavior of Specimens Under Test 

The plywood of all of the specimens buckled between the Stiffeners, 

This buckling occurred suddenly and involved. most of the shell, 

If the stiffeners were less than 1/8 inch thick the stiffener also 

buckled and additional compressing in the testing machine increased the depth 

of the buckles until failure appeared in the plywood or stiffeners or both. 

The load after initial buckling continued to decrease as further compression 

occurred. 

The specimens having heavier stiffeners exhibited buckles between the 

stiffeners; but it was not always apparent whether the buckles grew and involved the stiffeners, because the failure was of an explosive kind that 

shattered the entire specimen. Compression failures were found in several of 

the stiffeners. Some of the specimens with heavy Stiffeners carried loads 

greater than the load at which initial buckling occurred. The performance 

after initial buckling, see figures 10 and 11, was an increase in the depth 

of the initial buckles and also the formation of larger buckles involving 

several stiffeners (figs. 12 and 13). Failure occurred by a tearing of the 

plywood at the stiffener or by a breaking of several stiffeners. 

Discussion of Data 

The cylindrical shell between the stiffeners will tend to buckle in a 

manner similar to that of a complete cylinder as described in Forest Products 

Laboratory Report No. 1322-A, but the buckling will be restrained by the 

presence of the stiffeners. If the spacing between the stiffeners is sufficiently great to allow the formation of complete natural buckles, the critical 

stress will be equal to that of a complete cylinder, as is given by Report No. 

1322. For more closely spaced stiffeners, an increase in critical stress 

might be expected. 

Report No, 1562 -7-
The following discussion of the expected increase is based on the 

curves shown in figure 14, which is a reproduction of figures 10 to 13, inclusive, of Report No. 1322-A, The ordinates of these curves are proportional 

to the critical stresses, and the abscissas are proportionate amplitudes of 

the buckles. It is assumed in Report No. 1322-A that the plywood shells are 

not perfect cylinders, but were originally buckled, and that the amplitudes 

of the original buckles are proportional to A family of curves is drawn 

in each graph, each curve of which represents a certain size of buckle and is 

designated by a particular value of 

in which b is the width of the buckle, h is the thickness of the plywood, and 

r is the radius of the cylinder. The critical. stress associated with each 

value of is the minimum value of the stress indicated by the corresponding 

curve. Four different families of curves are shown, one for each of four 

values of 

It is evident from these four families of curves that the critical 

stress of complete cylinders of the plywood for which the curves were drawn, 

is given by = 0.095, since this is the minimum value of the envelopes of 

the families of curves; that is, the critical stress of a complete cylinder is 

independent of the original amplitude, 

0.35 

of the buckles. The value of 

associated with the critical stress is in all of these families, since 

this value yields a minimum, and the width of the natural buckle is, therefore, given by 0.35 = 

Now, if the space between the stiffeners, s, is greater than the value 

Of b given by this equation, there should be room for natural buckles to form 

between the stiffeners, and the critical stress will be that of an unstiffened 

cylinder. However, if the space between the stiffeners is less than b, the 

size of the buckles will be limited,? will have a value greater than 0.35, 

and the critical stress will be given by the minimum value of determined 

on the curve associated with this greater value of An examination of the 

four families of curves shown in figure 14 indicates that a considerable increase of critical stress may be expected if the original amplitude of the 

buckles, is small but practically no increase if is large. 

This discussion indicates that the effect 

parameter 

of stiffener spacing can best 

be shown by plotting k = against the Such plots indicated 

that this parameter should be divided by the aspect ratio z = 

inclusive. 

; 

therefore, the parameter was employed in figures 2 to 8, 

Report 1562 -8-
These figures indicate that, with the exception of the cylinders stiffened with the 1/8-inch plywood stiffeners, very little increase In the 

critical stress was obtained by the use of stiffeners except for very close 

spacings. It seems probable that the differential swelling between the wood 

stiffeners and the plywood cylinders caused original waves of sufficient 

amplitude to yield this result. The plywood stiffeners were of the same construction as the plywood of the cylinders, and, therefore, differential 

swelling did not occur. It is possible, also, that the lighter stiffeners 

did not limit the buckle size as sharply as the heavy stiffeners. 

The ordinates of figures 2 to 8, inclusive, are values of k = 

corrected by means of figure 1 to the proper values for long cylinders. Thus 

for large values of the values of k should agree with values for unstiffened cylinders. The agreement obtained is shown by comparing the position 

of the plotted points with the short horizontal. lines drawn in the figures. 

These lines are drawn at positions indicating the values for unstiffened 

cylinders as obtained from Report No, 1322. The agreement is shown more 

clearly by the frequency curves of figure 9. The value of k for unstiffened 

cylinders is 0.115. 

Tho variation in the experimental results can be expected to be large 

because of the presence of small local imperfections in the cylinders tested. 

This matter is discussed in Reports Nos. 1322, 1322-A, and 1322-B. 

A comparison was made between the critical loads obtained from the tests 

of the stiffened cylinders and critical loads computed for unstiffened 

cylinders of the same weights as the stiffened ones. The critical loads of the 

unstiffened cylinders were computed according to equation (5). In this computation a value of k of 0.115 was employed as a good average value for the 

types of plywood that would normally be used. The last column of tables 1 and 

gives the ratios of the critical loads of the unstiffened cylinders to those 

of the stiffened cylinders. Average values of these ratios, taken from table 

2, for cylinders stiffened with stiffeners of different depths are as follows: 

Stiffener 

depth-in. 1/48 1/32 1/24 1/16 1/8 3/8 1/2 1 

Average values 

of ratios 0.93 1.04 1.12 1.24 1.55 1.69 2.30 2.21 

These average values indicate that higher critical loads can, in 

general, be obtained by the use of unstiffened cylinders than by the use of 

stiffened cylinders. The plywood of which the stiffened cylinders were made 

was of 1:2:1 construction (core twice as thick as one of the faces) with face 

grain circumferential. The slight advantage over unstiffened cylinders of 

the cylinders stiffened with stiffeners 1/48 inch deep, is probably similar 

to the advantage over cylinders of 1:2:1 construction of cylinders made of 

plywood for which the stiffness in the axial direction is equal to that in the 

circumferential direction. 

Report No. 1562 -9-

2 
Conclusions 

The buckling stress of the curved sheet between the stiffeners of a 

stiffened thin-walled plywood cylinder may be taken to be the same as that 

of the same cylinder without stiffeners. If the stiffeners are very closely 

spaced the value of the stress determined by the method described in this 

report will be conservative. 

An unstiffened cylinder of the same weight and curvature and, therefore, of a greater thickness than the stiffened cylinder, will in general, 

buckle at a load equal to or greater than that applied to the Stiffened 

cylinder. 

APPENDIX 

Testing of Minor Coupons 

Bending Specimens 

Bending specimens 1 inch wide were tested on a span length 48 or more 

times the thickness of the specimen for face-grain directions parallel to the 

span and 24 or more times the thickness for face-grain directions perpendicular to the span, so that the necessity of correcting the deflection for 

transverse shearing deformations was eliminated. The ends of the specimens 

rested on supports rounded to about 1/16-inch radius. The load was applied 

through a 1/4-inch-diameter bar placed at the center of the span. Specimens 

having their face-grain directions parallel to the span were tested on an 

apparatus that measured the load by means of a platform scale reading to 

1/100 pound. The rate of loading and driving force was obtained from a 

testing machine on which the scale was mounted. Specimens having their 

face-grain direction perpendicular to the span were tested on an apparatus 

that used water as a load. The load increments could be measured to 10 grams. 

Load-deflection curves were plotted as the test was run. Immediately 

after testing, a sample was cut from the specimen for moisture-content determination. Properties computed from test data were the modulus of elasticity 

and moisture content. 

Compression Specimens 

The plywood compression specimens were 1 inch wide and 4 inches long 

with the face-grain direction oriented the same with respect to the direction 

of the applied load as it was to the corresponding part of the cylindrical 

shell. Because of the thinness of the specimen, an apparatus consisting of 

thin spring fingers was used to give lateral support. The deformation was 

Report 1562 -10-
measured over a 2-inch gage length with a Marten's mirror apparatus. Loaddeformation data were recorded as the test was made. Properties computed from 

the test data were the modulus of elasticity, the compressive stress at 

proportional-limit load, the compressive strength, and the moisture content. 

The stiffener compression specimens were 4 inches long, The veneer 

stiffener specimens were made as described in "Description of Specimens." 

They were tested in the same apparatus as were the plywood coupons. Coupons 

Of the heavy stiffeners were tested without the lateral-support apparatus. 

Report No. 1562 -11-





Figure 1.--The effect of length of specimen on the buckling 

constant for thin plywood cylinders in axial compression.

Each point represents three test specimens. 




Figure 6.--Buckling constants for yellow birch plywood cylinders having yellow birch 

stiffeners 1/16 inch thick. 


Figure 9.--Distribution of buckling constants for stiffened yellow

birch plywood cylinders in compression. 
Figure 10.--Initial buckling of a plywood cylinder having

nineteen 1- by 1/2-inch stiffeners. 

Z M 77256 F 
Figure 11.--Initial buckling of a plywood cylinder having twentyeight 1- by 1/2-inch stiffeners. 

Z M 77257 F 
Figure 12.--Failure of specimen shown in figure 10. Note the 

appearance of large buckles. 

Z M 77258 F 
Figure 13.--Failure of specimen shown in figure 11. Note the 

appearance of large buckles. 

Z M 77259 F 
Figure 14.--A reproduction of figures 10-13 of Forest Products 

Laboratory Report No. 1322-A. 

Z M 77367 F