Stability of Circular Cylindrical Shells with a Single Local Dent

The theoretical-and-experimental investigation has been performed on the stability of smooth cylindrical shells of steel with a single local dent. All the shells manufactured using the same process were tested with the fulfillment of identical conditions for observations and measurements. Theoretical calculations were carried out by the mesh method with the use of the nonlinear theory of shells. A comparison of the experimental and theoretical values of the critical loads has been made. The theoretical-and-experimental approach proposed enables one to evaluate the quality of shells by studying local dents and other specific imperfections.