ABSTRACT
It is proposed a method for determining the critical time of stability loss of thin-walled cylindrical pipes with arbitrary cross-section and variable wall thickness along the directrix subjected to corrosion from the inside. The method is based upon the model of a thin elastic cylindrical shell with an arbitrary cross-section and variable wall thickness along the directrix and upon the exponential dependence of the corrosion rate on the stress value. A chief aim is to show that the critical time of stability loss can be established if the solution of the respective problem of the static stability loss for the non-circular cylindrical shell with variable wall thickness along the directrix, non subjected to corrosion, and law of corrosion rate are known. Numerical results are obtained for cylindrical pipes with circular and elliptical cross-sections made from steel and aluminum.
