A novel model for buckling of composite shell: Ring stiffened shell and stiffened shell with cutout under hydrostatic pressure

Focusing on buckling problem under hydrostatic pressure of ring stiffened shells and shells with stiffened cutout fabricated by filament winding process, a new form of equilibrium equations is given in this paper based on high-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). A novel theoretical model is proposed based on Messager's model of geometrical imperfection. The model contains both ring stiffened shell model (RSSM) and stiffened shell with cutout model (SSCM). In this model, changes in the shells' thickness z˜k(x,y),k=1,2,…,n are described using a Fourier series representation, which is included in HSDT stiffness matrix A, B, D, E, F, H. To evaluate the critical buckling pressure pcr, the model is applied and compared with the conventional stiffened cylindrical shell (SCS) model. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in error, ranging from 71.08% to 81.22%, when using the proposed model for shells stiffened by a ring stiffener in the middle, as compared to the SCS model. This highlights the enhanced accuracy provided by the proposed model. The results indicate that small stiffened cutouts in thin shells and large stiffened cutouts in moderately thick shells have relatively small influence on the critical buckling pressure. Conversely, the presence of a ring stiffener in the middle has a more pronounced effect. •Theoretical model contains ring stiffened shell model (RSSM) and the stiffened shell with cutout model (SSCM) is proposed.•A new form of equilibrium equations is given in this paper based on the high-order shear deformation theory (HSDT).•The middle ring stiffener shows a great effect on the global buckling load, while the small cutout shows little.