Dynamic buckling of shells: evaluation of various methods

The problem of dynamic stability is substantially more complex than the buckling analysis of a shell subjected to static loads. Even at this date suitable criteria for dynamic buckling of shells, which are both logically sound and practically applicable, are not easily available. Thus, a variety of analyses are available to the user, encompassing various degrees of complexity, and involving a range of simplifying assumptions. The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate some of these solutions by applying them to a specific problem. A shallow spherical cap, subjected to an axisymmetric, uniform-pressure, step loading, is used as the structural example. The predictions, by various methods, of the dynamic buckling of this shell into unsymmetric modes, are then investigated and compared. (Auth.)