Delamination buckling of cylindrical shells under axial compression

A model is developed for the study of delamination buckling of axially loaded cylindrical shells. Delamination is assumed to exist before load application, it spans the entire circumference, and it lies on the contact surface of neighboring laminae. The mathematical model employs Donnell-type kinematic relations and linearly elastic material behavior. Furthermore, each lamina is assumed isotropic, and the emphasis is on studying the effect of delamination size and position on the critical load. Two sets of boundary conditions are used with the model: simply supported and clamped. The study reveals several important conclusions. Among them, one may list the following: (a) the critical load is primarily controlled by the position of the delamination from the reference surface, provided that the delamination is not very close to the boundaries; and (b) for long delaminations (relative to the cylinder length), the critical load is not appreciably affected by the boundary conditions.