ABSTRACT
The paper deals with the results o f systematic numerical studies on the nonlinear loadcarrying and buckling behavior of ring-stiffened circular cylindrical shells under exter nal pressure. In particular it focuses attention on the conditions under which stiffeners with rectangular cross-sections lead to either global or local (interstiffener) buckling and on the influence o f elastic-plastic material behavior. The numerical results are presented in the form o f nondimensional diagrams in which the buckling loads o f stiff ened shells are given directly as functions o f a global stiffening parameter containing all relevant information on both the shell’s geometry and the type and arrangement of the stiffeners. They indicate the buckling mode as well as the amount by which the load-carrying capacity o f a stiffened shell is larger than that o f the corresponding un stiffened one. This makes them particularly useful for practical design purposes.
