Experimental investigations on the failure modes of ring-stiffened cylinders under external hydrostatic pressure

Abstract This paper reports on the experimental investigations on the failure modes of ring-stiffened cylinder models subjected to external hydrostatic pressure. Nine models were welded from general structural steel. The shells were initially formed by cold-rolling, and flat-bar ring frames were welded to the shell. The hydrostatic pressure tests were conducted by using water as the medium in pressure chambers. The details of the preparation and main test were briefly explained. The investigation identified the consequence of the structural failure modes, including: shell yielding, local shell buckling between ring stiffeners, overall buckling of the shell together with the stiffeners, and interactive buckling mode combining local and overall buckling. In addition, the ultimate strengths were predicted by using existing design codes. Non-linear numerical computations were also conducted by employing the actual imperfection coordinates. Finally, accuracy and reliability of the predictions of design formulae and numerical were substantiated with the test results.