A failure strength analysis method for fiber reinforcement composite cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure based on generalized differential quadrature

In this paper, a numerical model is presented to study the failure strength of moderate thickness composite cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure. Considering the transverse shear effect on the mechanics of the moderate thickness cylindrical shell, the numerical model is proposed based on the First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT). The Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method is applied to solve the 3D displacement and strain field of the static governing equations. Tsai-Wu tensor failure criteria is used to acquire the structural failure strength of the cylindrical shell. The calculated displacement and strain results are compared with the ones of FE analysis and show very good agreement of the distribution. The obtained failure strength based on proposed model is validated with an experimental test and the maximum error of the failure strength is 7.78%. The results and errors indicate that the proposed numerical model is valid and accurate enough for the failure strength analysis of the moderate thickness composite cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure.