Local buckling strength and deformation capacity of pipes

Abstract

Local buckling in cylindrical shells may occur elastically or plastically, mainly depending on the diameter to wall thickness ratio. In offshore structures plastic local buckling is mostly the governing criterion. In thin walled shells such as silos and tanks, local buckling may occur at stresses below the yield stress (elastic buckling). In this paper, the focus is on local buckling limits in both elastic and plastic local buckling. A survey of available test results and differences in various design standards is given. Reasons for the scatter found in experiments are identified. There is a need for more harmonization in design standards, focusing on the practical needs for each application. Copyright © 2009 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).