ABSTRACT
The circular cylindrical members are used extensively in the construction of offshore oil-production platforms. In many countries, the building codes provide the rules for the design of cylindrical members. Circular tubes can be categorized by their manufacturing process. They are: hot-rolled cylindrical members, also called “seamless pipe,” made in a similar manner to the structural shapes; fabricated cylindrical members welded longitudinally to form a can after a plate is bent and then welded transversely to make a long member by connecting cans; and electrically seamed members made by first cold-forming with straightening and bending the coiled plate and then welding longitudinally. Although many analytical methods such as finite element approach, shell approach, etc., can be applied for cylindrical members, the beam-column approach for a bar element is generally adequate for practical design work. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
