Experimental and Analytical Investigation of the Behaviour of Cylindrical Tubes Subject to Axial Compressive Forces

Abstract

This paper describes experimental work which was undertaken to investigate the buckling characteristics of axially loaded cylindrical tubes and presents a theoretical basis for analysing tube behaviour. This is a radical departure from the existing theories in the literature which are not supported by experimental evidence. It is shown here that the tube failure is a ‘one-way’ buckling phenomenon where buckles can appear singly or in sequence. Two basic failure modes are established. One is due to an outward movement of the tube wall which produces a ripple or bellows formation and is fundamentally a yielding phenomenon. The other is inward movement which produces diamond shaped indentations and is an elastic failure. Mainly in the latter case, the small deviations from the true cylindrical form are the critical elements in determining the value of the failure load.