THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY N.8.w. 2006 AUSTRALIA School of Civil and Mining Engineering Research Report No.R502 LOCAL INELASTIC COLLAPSE OF PRESSURISED THIN CYLINDRICAL STEEL SHELLS UNDER AXIAL COMPRESSION by J.M. Rotter, M.A., Ph.D. August 1985EARTHQUAKE ENG. RES. CTR. LIBRARY Univ, of Calif./453 RES. 1301 So, 46th St. Richmond, Car, 94804 USA. (415) 231-9493 LOCAL INELASTIC COLLAPSE OF PRESSURISED THIN WOGAL INELASTIC COLLAPSE OF PRESSURISED THIN CYLINDRICAL STEEL SHELLS UNDER AXIAL COMPRESSION ‘CYLINDRICAL STEEL SHELLS UNDER AXIAL COMPRESSION TeM. Rotter, MAL, Ph.D. syworsts ylindrical bins, silos and tanks are thin shell structures subject “to” internal” pressure” from gtored Materials together with axial compression from roof loads and the frictional drag of stored materials on the walls. ‘The Governing failure mode is frequentiy buckling “under The internal pressure can significanely muckling strength, but high internal pressure lead to severe local bending near the base. Local’ yielding then precipitates a buckling failure. This failure mode has received very little attention to date and is comoniy ignored in tank and silo design. This paper describes the results of a atudy of the elastic-plastic instabiliey and collapse of axially-loaded internally-pressurised thin cylindrical shells adjacent to the support. The results are compared with previous design recommendations and a new simple, less conservative equation is proposed for use in design:| 1:___inmnopucrioy ‘This paper describes the results of a study of the elastic-plastic collapse of axilly-loaded internally~ ere jurised thin cylindrical shells adjacent to the shell support. This failure mode governs the design of many Practical bin, silo and tank structures, but does not appear to have been systematically studied aa an elastic- plastic problem before. ‘Thin cylindrical shells are widely used in contain- ment structures, such as bins; tanks, siloe and bunkers. Typical radius-to-thicknes ratios Lie in the range’ 250 = 2,000. The design wall thickness is usually determined by considerations of buckling under axial compreseicn. Axial compe: ive stresses develop in the walle as a result of roof loads and the frictional drag of stored solide sliding down the wall. The stored materials also exert “lateral pressures cn the wall, so that the cylindrical shell tecones effectively internally pressurised. The collapse load of a thin cylindrical shell is notoriously sensitive to the magnitude of the imperfections in the wall, but tris sensitivity is mich reduced when the cylinder is internally pressurised. The incr: fod strengths of internally-pressurised cylinders can be used in design if ‘the internal pressure can be guaranteed to be coexistent with the imposed axial compression. These conditions arise quite often in ground-supported bin and silo structures.