Shell Buckling: Theory and Applications

This lecture covers the theory and applications of shell buckling, focusing on the highly unstable and imperfection-sensitive behavior of shells, the shell effect in elastic buckling, and the efforts to revise the knockdown factor in design codes. The instructor discusses the stability of axisymmetric buckling of perfect spherical shells, imperfection-sensitivity, and the dynamic snapping and imperfection-sensitivity of buckling under pressure. The lecture also delves into the axisymmetric buckling of complete spherical shells, the imperfection-sensitivity of complete spherical shells with dimple imperfections, and the methods to solve buckling problems using numerical analysis. Various examples and experiments are presented to illustrate the concepts discussed.