Buckling of thin pressurized cylindrical shells under bending load

Design standards dealing with thin cylindrical shells subjected to bending, axial compression and internal pressure are based on analytical formulations and knock down factors from experimental investigations. This contribution gives some explanations on the behavior of such loaded structures; in particular, the case of combined loads as internal pressure and bending, or pressure, bending and shear is investigated. Parametrical experimental study highlights the stabilizing effect of internal pressure; in the simulation only the large displacement approach confirms the enhancement of the load capacity due to the pressurization. The importance of the coupling between shear and bending is shown using parametric numerical studies.