Buckling Load of Thin Spherical Shells Based on the Theorem of Work and Energy

Abstract

Thin spherical shells usually fail due to buckling. An empirical equation to predict their buckling load is derived based on the theorem of work done and energy released in the inversion of a section of a shell and nonlinear finite element (FE) modeling done using ABAQUS to determine their post-buckling behavior. It is observed that the initial buckling is sensitive to initial geometrical imperfections but the post-buckling load is little influenced. Therefore, the post-buckling load is used to predict a more realistic load as compared to classical buckling theory prediction