Generalized variational principles for buckling analysis of circular cylinders

A generalized variational principle and a parameterized generalized variational principle are obtained for large deformation analysis of circular cylinders by the semi-inverse method; all known variational principles in the literature are special cases of the obtained parameterized functional. In this approach, a trial functional is constructed with an energy-like integral involving an unknown function, which is identified step by step. The present paper provides a quite straightforward but rigorous tool to the construction of a variational principle for the shell or plate buckling.