Non-standard stabilization of the post-buckling path for elastic cylindrical shells under combined state of loadings

The post-buckling path for cylindrical shells under external pressure and twisting moment is unstable. The effect of stabilization in most cases is obtained by changing geometry of the structure. In this paper an alternative concept is applied, namely stabilization of the unstable post-buckling path is achieved by application of additional axial loads imposed to the ends of the structure without changing its shape and sizes. Three types of stabilizing forces were investigated: active forces applied to the structure or passive ones or combinations of both. Calculations were performed using ANSYS 11.0 code for elastic shells under different combinations of loadings.