Simulation of buckling tests using a mixed FEM for pressurized shallow spherical shells and the reduced stiffness analysis

Fifty-two experiments from the previously published paper of Yamada et al. [10] are compared with the present mixed finite element analytical results on the elastic pre- and post-buckling deflection behaviors of clamped thin-walled shallow spherical shells under external pressure. The numerical simulations have been done using the degenerated nine-node shell element with mixed interpolation functions. The nonlinear pre-buckling paths have been statically calculated, and then the corresponding post-buckling behaviors have been obtained through nonlinear dynamic analysis. The finite element based reduced stiffness method for imperfection-sensitive shell buckling design has also been developed in this paper.