Stiffened plates and cylindrical shells under interactive buckling
The interaction of local and overall buckling in stiffened plates and cylindrical shells has been analyzed using a novel finite elements in which local buckling deformation has been embedded. Amplitude modulation, a key feature of the interactive buckling has been incorporated in the element formulation. The model has the following additional features: (i) the inclusion of a key secondary local mode where the cross-section has complete or approximate double symmetry; and (ii) the introduction of a simple approach for capturing localization of local buckling; this involves incorporating a single local buckling mode in the analysis, but letting the amplitude modulation function to be different for different elements. Numerical examples of plate and shell structures are presented to throw light on these aspects of the methodology as well as to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the model.
cylindrical shells buckling finite elements local buckling amplitude modulation plate structures modal interaction localization of buckling imperfection sensitivity