Nonlinear numerical buckling analysis of composite underwater cylindrical shell

In order to solve low accuracy in underwater composite simulation, the nonlinear numerical analysis method was used to study underwater buckling behaviors of a composite cylindrical shell. The results show that the simulation and an experiment are consistent with each other, which validates the effectiveness of the model and the method. The underwater nonlinear buckling behaviors of an underwater shell made of four kinds of materials, including aluminum, carbon/epoxy, boron/epoxy and glass/epoxy, were contrasted. The results show that the tensile modulus of fibers have great impact on the pressure capacity of the cylindrical shell. Carbon/epoxy is an ideal material for cylindrical shells subjected to hydrostatic pressure. Finally, the underwater nonlinear buckling behaviors of stiffened composite cylindrical underwater shells with different shaped ribs, such as rectanglar, T-shaped, and L-shaped ribs, were studied. The results show that the T-shaped ribs are best for improving the buckling pressure of cylindrical shells. The results of this paper have an important reference value and guidance function for underwater application and study of composite materials.