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Buckling of an externally pressurized Mylar conical shell

Photograph supplied by Michael Nemeth, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

From Semiannual report on the development of design criteria for elastic stability of thin shell structures", AFBMD/TR-60-110 by P. Seide and V. I. Weingarten, Space Technology Laboratories, Ind., 1 January - 30 June 1960

ABSTRACT:
Experimental investigation of the buckling of cylindrical and conical shells under varied loading conditions was continued. Additional data were obtained for steel cones and cylinders under axial compression and under uniform external pressure to check on scatter, and additional tests were performed on Mylar cylinders of small radius/thickness ratio under axial compression to extend the range. The interactions of combined axial compression and uniform internal or external pressure were investigated for Mylar cones and cylinders. Steel cones and cylinders were tested under pure bending. Scatter in axial load and external pressure data was still found to be large, but not unusual for such conditions. Preliminary tests of axially stiffened pressurized cylinders were begun, but were insufficient for analysis. Attempts to evaluate all data and to correlate with theory continued.

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