Buckling strength of the cylindrical shell and tank subjected to axially compressive loads

This paper aims to develop practical design equations and charts estimating the buckling strength of the cylindrical shell and tank subjected to axially compressive loads. Both geometrically perfect and imperfect shells and tanks are studied. Numerical analysis is used to evaluate buckling strength. The modeling method, appropriate element type and necessary number of elements to use in numerical analysis are recommended. According to the results of the parametric study of the perfect shell, the buckling strength decreases significantly as the diameter-to-thickness ratio increases, while it decreases slightly as the height-to-diameter ratio increases. These results are different from those in the case of columns. The buckling strength of the perfect tank placed on an extremely soft foundation and a stiff foundation increases by up to 1.6% and 5.6%, respectively, compared with that of the perfect shell. The buckling strength of the shell and tank decreases significantly as the amplitude of initial geometric imperfection increases. Convenient and sufficiently accurate design equations and charts used for estimating buckling strength are provided.