Numerical and experimental investigations on the buckling of steel semi-spherical shells under various loadings

In this paper, the buckling and post-buckling of steel thin-walled semi-spherical shells are investigated under different loadings, both experimentally and numerically. Various vertical compression loadings are applied to specimens using the following methods: a rigid flat plate and some rigid bars with circular, square and spherical cross sections, a rigid tube, a plate with a hole, and an indented tube. The effects of geometrical parameters of specimens on the buckling load, such as the diameter and thickness, are studied. The numerical analysis is carried out by ABAQUS software and the experimental tests are performed using an Instron 8802 servo-hydraulic machine. The numerical and experimental results are similar to one another. Therefore, the numerical results are valid. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.