Nonlinear Buckling Finite Element Analysis to Estimate Collapse Pressure of Thick Cylinder under Hydrostatic Pressure

Abstract

In order to perform a pressure chamber experiment with a circular cylindrical pressure vessel, the dimensions of the cylinder need to be determined in the range of the maximum externally applied pressure of the chamber to create the collapse process. In this study, the collapse load values from published chamber test results, finite element analysis and the theory of thick cylinders were thoroughly compared in a aluminum cylinder. In order to investigate the effect of collapse load according to the ovality during manufacturing, nonlinear buckling analysis was performed and the collapse load according to ovality was compared. Based on the results, the dimensions of the steel cylinder were determined for the future chamber collapse test.