Sequential buckling in fluid-filled cylindrical shells

Area of Science:

• * Physics and Engineering
• * Materials Science
• * Applied Mathematics

Background:

• * Cylindrical shells are widely used for their load-bearing capabilities, found in applications ranging from oil drums to rockets.
• * Buckling, a phenomenon where shells deform under compression, exhibits diverse forms like diamond patterns and elephant footing.
• * The buckling behavior of liquid-filled shells remains under-explored despite their prevalence in industrial and daily applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To investigate the largely overlooked buckling phenomenon in liquid-filled cylindrical shells.
• * To identify and characterize the specific buckling instabilities occurring in such structures.
• * To link theoretical models of pattern formation with physical observations of shell buckling.

Main Methods:

• * Experimental compression of beverage cans to observe buckling behavior.
• * Measurement of anisotropic material properties of the shell.
• * Nonlinear modeling using the Swift-Hohenberg equations to simulate buckling patterns.

Main Results:

• * Identification of a sequential buckling instability in fluid-filled shells.
• * Observation of localized circumferential rings forming above a critical compression threshold.
• * Demonstration that fluid-filled shells support multiple localized buckling solutions via nonlinear hoop stress and homoclinic snaking.

Conclusions:

• * Fluid-filled shells exhibit unique buckling behaviors distinct from empty or solid-core shells.
• * The study establishes a connection between mathematical pattern formation theories and physical buckling phenomena.
• * Findings provide a framework for studying localized patterns in systems with material nonlinearities and pressurization.