An overview of buckling and ultimate strength of spherical pressure hull under external pressure

The load-carrying capability of spherical shells under external pressure has been the subject of a long history and many theoretical and experimental studies have been carried out. However, from a comparative study on the design rules for the minimum thickness of the deep manned spherical shells from various classification societies, significant differences have been found. This indicates that these design rules need to be updated and unified like Common Structural Rules for tankers and bulk carriers. In order to lay a foundation for this target, a systematic study is carried out to develop a consistent calculation method for predicting the ultimate strength of spherical pressure hull under external pressure. This is the first paper of a series of three for reporting this study and in this paper, a critical review on the buckling and ultimate strength of spherical pressure hulls is carried out and further problems to be studied are identified. This could lay a solid foundation for the further study. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.