ON THE QUESTION OF THE STABILITY OF SHELLS, PLATES AND RODS

Abstract

Strict, often conflicting requirements are imposed on modern engineering structures. On the one hand, they must be light, and on the other hand, their load-bearing capacity must be high. The exhaustion of the bearing capacity often occurs due to the loss of stability of structural elements: shells, plates and rods. There are no reliable formulas for determining the critical loads of plates and, moreover, shells. The purpose of this paper is to find such formulas. A new approach to solving stability problems is used, based on the assumption that at the moment of stability loss, the axial compressive force decreases. Based on this approach, by the energy method using the relations of the general linear theory of thin-walled shells, formulas were obtained for calculating the axial critical forces of cylindrical shells with hinged and rigidly embedded ends, rectangular plates and rods. The results of critical load calculations using these formulas are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results of an experimental study of the stability of cylindrical shells reinforced with stringers under axial compression are presented. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given on the use of the proposed approach for further study of the stability of thin-walled structures.