Buckling of imperfection sensitive shell structures: experimental characterization of the knock-down factor using the Multiple Perturbation Load Approach

Abstract

This work presents an experimental study to compare the effects on the buckling load of imperfection sensitive cylindrical shell structures using the Multiple Perturbation Load Approach (MPLA) and the Single Perturbation Load Approach (SPLA). A benchmark case is developed using a composite cylindrical shell with a radius over thickness ratio of 400. An experimental test setup is set to provide reliable results. The knock-down factor on the buckling load using one, two and three perturbation loads distributed along the surface of the cylinder is characterized, presented and discussed in this paper. The experimental result shows that lowest knock-down factor are achieved when the number of perturbation loads is increased.