BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF SANDWICH SHELL STRUCTURES SUBJECTED TO HYDROSTATIC LOAD

This paper examines the buckling phenomenon of sandwich cylindrical shell structures subjected to hydrostatic pressure. Global bifurcation buckling is considered, and the effect of discrete ring stiffeners on the critical pressure is analyzed. The local buckling problem is discussed, including the influence of the shape and the thickness of the core stiffeners on the critical load. Finally, the paper treats the sensitivity of local and global buckling on the thickness distribution between the inner and outer shells of the sandwich structure.