Buckling of Locally Loaded Isotropic, Orthotropic, and Composite Cylindrical Shells

This paper incorporates an analysis of the stability of orthotropic or isotropic cylindrical shells subjected to external pressure applied over all or part of their surfaces. An eighth-order governing equation for buckling of orthotropic, isotropic, and composite cylindrical shells is deduced. This governing differential equation can facilitate the analysis and enable us to resolve the buckling problem. The formulas and results, deduced for the first time in this paper, may be readily applied in determining critical loads for local loading of orthotropic, isotropic, and composite cylindrical shells.