Inelastic shell instability of thin-walled circular cylinders under external hydrostatic pressure

This paper reports on experimental work carried out on nine thin-walled circular cylinders which were tested to destruction under external hydrostatic pressure. Seven of the cylinders failed through non-symmetric bifurcation buckling and two failed through axisymmetric collapse. The results were used from these tests, together with the results from other experiments, to produce a design chart which could be used for designing against the occurence of elastic and inelastic shell instability.