Buckling Analysis of Thin and Thick Cylindrical Shells Under Axial Load and External Pressure Based on First Order and Third Order Shear Deformation Theories

In this paper, governing equilibrium equations for thin and thick-walled cylindrical shells based on the classic membrane and bending theories of shells using the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the third order shear deformation theory (TSDT) in the three dimensional theory of elasticity for simply supported boundary conditions according to the buckling mode shapes for axial, circumferential and radial displacement field and subjected to axial and uniform external pressure buckling load have been derived. Then, the set of governing buckling equations of the shell for the axial, circumferential and radial displacements are numerically solved to obtain axial and circumferential critical buckling load. Moreover, to verify obtained results the shell subjected to axial buckling load has been modeled in ANSYS finite element software. The accuracy of obtained result to predict the critical axial load and external pressure buckling loads of the thin and thick shells have been compared with each other and the ones reported in the literature.