Effect of thickness on buckling of perfect cross-ply rings under external pressure

Effect of thickness on the buckling of a perfect thick plane strain cross-ply ring (very long cylindrical shell) is investigated. A linearized version of a fully nonlinear finite element analysis, that employs a cylindrically curved 16-node layer-element, and is based on the assumption of layer-wise linear displacements distribution through thickness (LLDT), is utilized for computation of hydrostatic buckling pressure of the afore-mentioned cross-ply ring. Numerical results pertaining to the effect of thickness (interlaminar shear/normal deformation) on the hydrostatic buckling pressure of cross-ply rings and comparison with their classical lamination theory (CLT) counterparts are also presented.