International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95

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International Journal of Mechanical Sciences

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijmecsci

A perturbation approach on buckling and postbuckling of circular rings

under nonuniform loads
Eyas Azzuni, Sukru Guzey∗
Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Keywords: Thin elastic circular rings can be subject to various loading profiles when used to stiffen long pipes or above-
Nonuniform pressure ground cylindrical storage tanks. Specific nonuniform loading profiles have been used by many researchers in
Imperfection theoretical analyses. However, real loading patterns may deviate slightly from the theoretical approximation.
Perturbation method
The sensitivity of rings to initial imperfections is highlighted in this work. This study investigates the effect of
Large deformations
small imperfections in nonuniform loading of the cosine form. A Duffing-type nonlinear differential equation
Elastic circular rings
was solved using a perturbation technique to describe the effects of a “follower” loading normal to a ring with
large deformations. It is found that the lower buckling mode will govern with the existence of any magnitude of
imperfection corresponding to the shape of the fundamental mode.
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Buckling of elastic circular rings has been studied by many re-
searchers because of its practical applications in engineering and tech-
nology [1–6] where the small deformations assumption was used to
find the buckling load under uniform external pressure. In real three-
dimensional structures with rings, buckling of rings may occur in-plane
or out-of-plane of the ring; out-of-pane buckling can have a substan-
tially lower buckling loading than the in-plane buckling [1]. This study
focuses on the in-plane buckling of rings, which is applicable to pressure
vessels, pipes and tanks with stiffening rings. Boussinesq [2] established
the differential equation describing the deflection of a thin circular ring
due to bending. Bresse [3] and Lévy [4] studied the in-plane buckling
of rings with inextensible centerlines solving the elasticity problem, as
early as late 19th century. Wah [5,6] assumed an extensible center-
line and arrived at the classical buckling load of rings with inextensible
centerlines through the equations of free vibrations. These theoretical
derivations by the previously mentioned researchers have been used to
study real-life problems in composite rings [7], ring-stiffened domes [8],
and cylinders [9].
The deformation of rings before and after buckling due to uniform
external loading can be used when investigating physical phenomena re-
lated to ring buckling. Boresi [10] gave a refinement to the buckling of
rings under uniform pressure theory. Carrier [11,12] produced an ana-
lytical solution for the immediate postbuckling behavior of inextensible
rings buckling in the fundamental mode under uniform radial pressure.
El Naschie [13] produced the analytical solution for an extensible cen-
terline. Tadjbakhsh and Odeh [14] explored a numerical solution to de-
scribe the large deformation behavior of rings in various buckling modes
under uniform pressure. Flaherty et al. [15] found the loading at which
opposite sides of rings and long pipes meet, and the deformation that
follows with the sides in contact. Fukumoto [16] was the first to derive
the analytical solution describing the curvature of the ring in the context
of a fluid mechanics problem. Later, Adams [17] formulated a general
solution for the postbuckling behavior of rings under uniform external
pressure in all modes, while Wu et al. [18] formulated an analytical
approximation for the large postbuckling deformations of rings under
uniform pressure. Similarly, Djondjorov et al. [19] presented a solution
with transcendental equations describing the large deformations behav-
ior of simple rings and self-intersecting ones. Pozrikidis [20] studied the
buckled shapes of inextensible shells with circular and non-circular orig-
inal shapes, relating the shape of the post-buckling deformed shape of a
tube to the flow of the fluid though it. Vassilev et al. [21] presented
an analytical solution for the equilibrium shapes of cylindrical fluid
membranes and the possible deformation patterns. Other researchers in-
vestigated the ring-related buckling of real structures like ring-stiffened
cylinders and pipes [22–26].
However, uniform pressure is not always the type of pressure expe-
rienced by rings and pipes. For example, nonuniform pressure profiles
can be found in loading cases affecting cylindrical afterbodies of jets
at hypersonic speeds [27]. Also, aboveground circular cylindrical ver-
tical axis shell structures such as chimneys, stacks, bins, silos, pressure
vessels and storage tanks can be exposed to wind loading, which has
a nonuniform pressure profile [28–31]. Rings subject to such nonuni-

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: eazzuni@purdue.edu (E. Azzuni), guzey@purdue.edu (S. Guzey).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2018.01.004
Received 26 October 2017; Received in revised form 27 December 2017; Accepted 6 January 2018
Available online 12 January 2018
0020-7403/© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95

form pressure profiles can deform differently from those under uniform
pressure.
Anderson and Boresi [32] investigated the buckling of thick rings
subjected to the nonuniform loading profile, p = 0.5p0 (1−cos(2𝜃)), de-
scribed in reference [27]. They studied the loading as a centrally-
directed force system using the variational theory of elastic stability
and the small deformations assumption. Their solution does not take
into consideration that the pressure is always normal to the surface it is
acting on throughout the deformation. This approach overestimates the
buckling load because it assumes that the loading is a centrally-directed
force system.
Seide and Jamjoom [33] looked into the effects of the pressure of the
profile p = p0 (1+𝜀 cos(2m𝜃)) on thin elastic circular rings with the large Fig. 1. Sample loading profile p = p0 (1 + 0.5(cos(2𝜃) + cos(4𝜃))).
deformation theory. Where p0 is the average pressure parameter for the
ring circumference, 𝜀 is the magnitude of the sinusoidal term, or the
nonuniformity parameter, 2 m is the mode of the loading function with
m being an integer, and 𝜃 is the angular location on the ring. Seide and
Jamjoom [33] assumed the pressure to be normal to the deformed ring
centerline by deriving the differential equation relating the local pres-
sure magnitude to a differential element in the ring. With this nonlinear
approach, the buckling load was correctly captured, as opposed to the
overestimated buckling loads in Anderson and Boresi [32] formulation.
The approach Seide and Jamjoom [33] used handles the pressure as a
“follower” force and uses a nonlinear differential equation to describe
the behavior of rings subject to any pressure profile. Their investiga-
tion solved the nonlinear differential equation numerically to capture
the large deformation behavior of rings.
Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34] solved the same differential equation
Seide and Jamjoom [33] introduced using a perturbation technique for
a class of doubly-symmetric nonuniform loading profiles. They studied
the large deformations of rings under nonuniform pressure in the gen- Fig. 2. Deformation progression for 𝛿 = 0 (i.e. p̃ = p0̃ (1 + 𝜀cos(4𝜃))).
eral form of p = p0 (1+𝜀 cos(2m𝜃)), where m is any positive integer. An
asymptotic solution for the buckling shape was produced as a function
of p0 and 𝜀. Southwell’s observations on columns can be extended to thin elastic
Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34] also investigated the effects of load im- circular rings under nonuniform pressure; the buckling load of lower
purities representing a higher pressure mode imperfection added to a modes can be captured if there exists some imperfection in the geometry
lower pressure mode. They studied limited cases of rings under a load- of the ring corresponding to the shape of the lower buckling mode. This
ing of the form p = p0 (1+𝜀 (cos(2𝜃)+𝛿 cos(4𝜃))), where 𝛿 is the impurity study aims to investigate the influence of lower-mode imperfections in
factor. One can think of 𝛿 as an imperfection to the loading when 𝛿 is the loading pattern on the buckling mode of circular rings and extend
small (i.e. less than 1). However, upon closer inspection of their solu- Southwell’s experimental findings on columns to rings.
tion, it appears that the perturbation technique is only able to match the The differential equation derived by Seide and Jamjoom is solved
results from Seide and Jamjoom [33] for limited values of p0 specifically in this study with the loading pattern p = p0 (1+𝜀 (𝛿 cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))).
only the earlier stages of postbuckling deformation. At the later stages Fig. 1 illustrates one of the doubly-symmetric nonuniform pressure load-
of postbuckling deformation, the approach of Hassan and El-Ghabaty ing profiles, which was used in this study. Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34],
[34] loses its accuracy. studied the case of 𝛿 = 0 and could not capture the first buckling mode
Southwell [35] experimentally investigated a methodology to obtain of the ring, instead they obtained a higher buckling mode corresponding
the buckling load of a column through non-destructive testing. His re- to cos(4𝜃) loading term. The use of a pure loading profile can rarely be
sults showed that if a column has a geometric imperfection matching the observed in reality, which may unintentionally lead to overestimating
shape of the first buckling mode, then the first buckling mode will be the failure of a ring under nonuniform loading in practical applications
the prevalent one. Simitses and Hodges [36] show that because columns if the results of Hassan and El-Ghabaty were used. Fig. 2 shows the
do not have perfect geometry in practice, the load does not go perfectly deformation progression of the loading case studied by Hassan and El-
through the centerline, which influences the buckling load. Galambos Ghabaty, where the first buckling mode is skipped altogether because
and Surovek [37] pointed out that any magnitude of out-of-straightness there was no imperfection introduced to the loading expression.
of columns in the shape of the first mode will cause a snap-through buck- The framework of Hassan and El-Ghabaty’s perturbation technique
ling in the fundamental mode. Currently Southwell’s observations have along with the use of a Taylor series expanded to higher order terms
been applied to columns, but no other researcher has extended this to coupled with more approximating functions were used in this investiga-
circular rings. tion. The use of fewer terms in the Fourier series expansion will result in
Buckling of rings under nonuniform loading may be influenced by lower accuracy for the results, and might not capture the lower buckling
the presence of geometric or load impurities matching the buckling mode or the large deformation behavior of the ring. The methodology of
shape. Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34] added impurities in higher modes this study will employ a more accurate perturbation solution to ensure
which fails to capture lower buckling modes for rings. In practical ap- capturing lower buckling modes when small imperfections are present.
plications, it is not possible to find perfect loading profiles or perfectly This paper will discuss the importance of adding an imperfection to
circular rings. The addition of an imperfection term to the loading for- the loading pattern in Section. 2. Then the differential equation describ-
mulation might give better understanding of the real behavior compared ing the behavior of the ring under arbitrary nonuniform loading profile
to theoretical results. is presented in Section. 2.2. Following, an explanation of the pertur-
bation solution and how to use it to solve the differential equation is

87
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey
presented in Section. 2.3. The investigated parameters are discussed
briefly in Section. 2.4, where the premise of the study is presented.
Section. 2.5 explains how the coordinates of the deformed ring are ob-
tained. The results and discussion of this study are elaborated on in
Section. 3, followed by the conclusion of this investigation in Section. 4.
2. Methodology
This section will discuss the way imperfection is imposed on the load-
ing, and how its effects are studied using a perturbation technique. The
methodology also shows that the deformed geometry of the ring can be
found through relating the undeformed angle position to the curvature
ratio function, U.
2.1. Loading pattern imperfection
Circular elastic rings subjected to nonuniform loading deform in a
way related to the pressure profile they experience [33,34]. A nonuni-
form pressure profile can be expressed as a Fourier series expansion or
as a sinusoidal function of a specific period. The pressure profile shown
in Eq. (1) is of interest in references [33,34] and in this study:
𝑝 = 𝑝0 (1 + 𝜀 cos (𝑛𝜃)) (1)
where p is the pressure at any angle along the ring, p0 is the average
pressure parameter for the ring circumference, 𝜀 is the magnitude of the
sinusoidal term, or the nonuniformity parameter, n is the mode of the
sinusoidal loading, and 𝜃 is the angular location in the undeformed ring.
Fig. 1 shows an initially circular ring with a radius R before deformation
subject to a representative nonuniform external pressure loading profile.
However, real-life scenarios of intricate loading profiles with impu-
rities may not be captured by Eq. (1). Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34], for
example, studied the case of n = 4 and found the ring to buckle at a
higher mode than the first buckling mode. The perturbation solution
that Hassan and El-Ghabaty employed captures the behavior of a per-
fectly circular ring under perfect loading, which may not be the case for
real rings.
Real rings may have some out-of-roundness that may influence the
buckling and postbuckling behavior when subjected to external loading.
Moreover, real loading profiles may not be perfectly described by a finite
Fourier series expansion, but are approximated, and might have some
influence of other neglected terms. This can be addressed by introducing
an imperfection to the loading profile and investigating the behavior
of the ring with such imperfections. Eq. (2) shows a sinusoidal loading
profile with the major loading pattern matching the third buckling mode
shape and an imperfection matching the shape of first buckling mode
with the magnitude 𝛿.
𝑝 = 𝑝0 (1 + 𝜀(𝛿 cos (2𝜃) + cos (4𝜃))) (2)
where 𝛿 is the imperfection magnitude, or the impurity factor, in the
loading profile imperfection. There can be infinite combinations of p0 ,
𝜀, and 𝛿. Fig. 1 illustrates the influence of the cos(2𝜃)-type imperfection
on the shape of the loading profile when 𝜀 = 0.5 and 𝛿 = 1. The inward
direction is taken to be positive in this study; thus, p0 can only be pos-
itive, while 𝜀 and 𝛿 can be positive or negative. This study focuses on
positive values of 𝜀 and 𝛿 less than or equal to 1.
The imperfection type of cos(2𝜃) was chosen as it is shown to pro-
duce the first buckling mode [33]. With a real-life scenario, the ring is
likely to have an imperfection resembling cos(2𝜃) even with a very small
magnitude of 𝛿. The influence of imperfections on the behavior of rings
can be investigated by studying rings subjected to the loading pattern
shown in Eq. (2) using the perturbation framework employed by Hassan
and El-Ghabaty [34]
2.2. Differential equations
Seide and Jamjoom [33] derived a differential equation describing
the large deformation behavior of a circular ring under general loading
88
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95
that is always normal to the ring, p. Their expression is shown in Eq. (3).
𝑑2𝑈 1
+ 𝑈 3 + 𝐶𝑈 = 𝑝̃ (3)
𝑑 𝜃2 2
where p̃ is the normalized loading, p̃ = pR3 /EI, U is the curvature ratio,
U = R/𝜌 = d𝜙/d𝜃, 𝜙 is the angle in the deformed ring, R is the radius of
the undeformed ring, 𝜌 is the radius of curvature of the deformed ring,
E is the modulus of elasticity of the ring, I is the moment of inertia of
the ring, C is an integration constant, shown in Eq. (4).
2𝜋
1
𝐶 = 𝑝̃0 − 𝑈 3 𝑑𝜃 (4)
4𝜋 ∫0
where p0̃ is the normalized average pressure parameter for the ring cir-
cumference, p0̃ = p0 R3 /EI.
By substituting Eq. (2) into Eq. (3), the differential equation describ-
ing the deformation behavior of a ring under a sinusoidal loading of
form cos(4𝜃) with an imperfection of the form cos(2𝜃) can be obtained.
This differential equation is shown in Eq. (5):
𝑑2𝑈 1
+ 𝑈 3 + 𝐶𝑈 = 𝑝̃0 (1 + 𝜀(𝛿 cos (2𝜃) + cos (4𝜃))). (5)
𝑑 𝜃2 2
Now, to make the equation in terms of U and 𝜃 only, the constant of
integration, C, should be expanded, leading to Eq. (6):
( )
2𝜋
𝑑2𝑈 1 1
+ 𝑈3 + 𝑝̃0 − 𝑈 𝑑𝜃 𝑈 = 𝑝̃0 (1 + 𝜀(𝛿 cos (2𝜃) + cos (4𝜃))).
3
𝑑 𝜃2 2 4𝜋 ∫0
(6)
By solving Eq. (6), the behavior of the ring for any p0̃ , 𝜀, and 𝛿 com-
bination can be investigated.
2.3. The perturbation solution
Eq. (3) is a highly non-linear Duffing-type differential equation that
cannot be solved purely analytically for the loading case of this study.
In the formulation for the large deformation behavior of a circular ring,
another problem arises due to the constant of integration, C, as it de-
pends on the solution of the curvature ratio function, U. This loop of
dependency requires the equation to be solved by assuming either a
function for U or a value for C. This added complication to the Duffing
equation increases the difficulty when solving the equation numerically
or semi-analytically.
Numerical solutions may require extensive computational power and
may not be stable enough to converge to a solution. On the other hand,
a semi-analytical solution can be obtained by assuming a function for U
and utilizing a perturbation technique. This method has the advantage of
providing a stable, converging solution that can produce a relationship
between the loading term and the curvature ratio, U.
A perturbation solution will inherently have some loss of accuracy
which can be minimized by increasing the number of approximating
functions and the order of the Taylor series expansion. Hassan and El-
Ghabaty [34] used a Taylor series expansion up to the third order of 𝜂,
where they solved Eq. (3) for two loading profiles of nonuniform load-
ing: p = p0 (1+𝜀 cos(2m𝜃)), and p = p0 (1+𝜀(cos(2𝜃) + 𝛿cos(4𝜃))). Based on
the framework of Hassan and El-Ghabaty, this study solves Eq. (3) for
the loading profile p = p0 (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))) with a Taylor series
expansion up to the fourth order of 𝜂.
A perturbation solution for Eq. (6) can be found by assuming the
following Taylor series expansions:
𝑈 = 1 + 𝜂𝜈1 + 𝜂 2 𝜐2 + 𝜂 3 𝜐3 + 𝜂 4 𝜐4 + ⋯ , (7)
𝜀𝑝̃0 = 𝜂𝐴1 + 𝜂 2 𝐴2 + 𝜂 3 𝐴3 + 𝜂 4 𝐴4 + … , (8)
where 𝜂 is the perturbation variable, Ai are constants,
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey
Fig. 3. Three possible solutions for the governing differential equation obtained through
the perturbation technique.
𝜈1 = cos (2𝜃) + 𝐶11 cos (4𝜃),
∑
4
𝜈𝑖 = 𝐶𝑖,𝑛−1 cos(2𝑛𝜃), for 𝑖 = 2, 3 and 4.
𝑛=2
Cij are constants. All the constants are obtained through a process of
balancing the two sides of Eq. (6) after substituting Eqs. (7) and (8) into
it. This will be demonstrated later in this section.
Because the Taylor series used in this study was expanded only to
the fourth order of 𝜂, four approximating functions were used in the
perturbation solution. Up to four different solutions for the deformation
behavior can exist corresponding to the four possible solutions of 𝜂 when
solving Eq. (8) for 𝜂. In the solution procedure, 𝜂 is found for each com-
bination of 𝜀 and p0̃ . For each solution of 𝜂 there is a unique solution
for U. Each solution for the U function describes a deformation pattern
that is unique. For example, two of the solutions can represent the first
buckling mode, one of them has the horizontal sides meeting, while the
other has the vertical sides meeting. Another solution may represent the
ring keeping a close-to-circular shape at the lower buckling load value
without buckling. Fig. 3 shows four possible deformation behaviors at
the same loading value. The solid line shows the ring buckled at the first
mode. The dotted line shows another possible configuration for buck-
ling in the first mode. The dashed line shows the two possibilities of not
buckling in the first mode; which can buckle in a higher mode or not
buckle in that higher mode.
To find the constants and functions in Eqs. (7) and (8), the two equa-
tions are first substituted into Eq. (6), which creates a relationship re-
lating 𝛿, 𝜀 and p0̃ to the Ai and Cij constants. The right-hand side of this
relationship is:
( )
𝑝̃0 + 𝜂𝐴1 + 𝜂 2 𝐴2 + 𝜂 3 𝐴3 + 𝜂 4 𝐴4 (𝛿 cos (2𝜃) + cos (4𝜃)).
The left-hand side of the relationship has terms with 𝜂 raised to the
16th power. For the relationship to hold, the terms multiplied with the
same power of 𝜂 should be balanced on both sides of the equality. This
means that any 𝜂 raised to a power higher than 4 was neglected. For
example, the terms collected for 𝜂 of the first power can be expressed
as:
( )
𝜂 𝑝̃0 cos (2𝜃) − 3 cos (2𝜃) + 𝐶11 𝑝̃0 cos (4𝜃) − 15𝐶11 cos (4𝜃)
= 𝜂𝐴1 (𝛿 cos (2𝜃) + cos (4𝜃)).
89
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95
The 𝜂 terms can now be removed from the equation. For this equation
to be true at any non-zero value of 𝜃, the terms corresponding to the
same cosine term are compared to one another resulting in the following
two equations:
( )
𝑝̃0 − 3 cos (2𝜃) = 𝛿𝐴1 cos (2𝜃),
( )
𝑝̃0 − 15 𝐶11 cos (4𝜃) = 𝐴1 cos (4𝜃).
The first equation is used to solve for A1 , then the second equation
is used to solve for C11 .
𝑝̃0 − 3
𝐴1 = ,
𝛿
𝐴1
𝐶11 = .
𝑝̃0 − 15
By repeating this procedure for all the powers of 𝜂, the remaining Ai
and Cij constants can be obtained.
After obtaining the values of constants for each 𝛿, 𝜀 and p0̃ combina-
tion, Eq. (8) can be used to solve for 𝜂. This allows the value found for 𝜂
to be used in Eq. (7) in order to find the corresponding U expression for
that specific 𝛿, 𝜀 and p0̃ combination. There can be up to four solutions
for 𝜂 as the Taylor series expansion goes to the fourth power. Only the 𝜂
solution that resulted in a U pertaining to the buckling behavior at the
lowest mode is taken into consideration. The 𝜂 solutions that pertained
to a duplicate buckling behavior or pertained to buckling at a higher
load were not considered.
For example, the solution represented by the solid line in Fig. 3 was
chosen because it shows buckling at the lowest buckling mode. The other
solution represented by the dotted line was not taken into consideration
because it is just a different configuration of the first buckling mode. The
solutions represented by the dashed line were not considered because
they pertain to the ring buckling at a higher mode or not buckling at all.
2.4. Investigation parameters
This study explores the possibility that imperfections in the shape
of the first buckling mode of 𝛿cos(2𝜃) will lead to buckling of the ring
in the first buckling mode. The investigated loading profile is the func-
tion p = p0 (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))). The behavior of the ring has been
investigated for various combinations of 𝛿 and 𝜀. The interaction of both
parameters shows the effect of the impurity factor, 𝛿, which describes
the imperfection magnitude, on the magnitude of the nonuniform por-
tion of the loading, 𝜀, at various load levels. The values of 𝛿 spanned
0.01, 0.1, and 1, while the values of 𝜀 spanned 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1,
0.5, and 1. A total of 18 combinations were investigated. Fig. 1 shows
a sample loading profile for a normalized load p/p0 where 𝜀 = 0.5 and
𝛿 = 1. To normalize the pressure to any elastic circular ring with a uni-
form cross section, the loading term is multiplied by R3 /EI.
The constants Ai and Cij change their values as p0 increases, which
in turn change the values of 𝜂 and U0 , which is U at 𝜃 = 0. To track the
change of U0 for each value of p0 , the values of the constants Ai and
Cij are calculated, then Eq. (8) is solved for 𝜂, allowing for the value
of U to be calculated. Since there can be up to four solutions for 𝜂, up
to four values of U0 can be calculated. The selection of the appropriate
U solution for our investigation follows by only selecting the U0 values
that show the same curvature progression pattern with the increase of
p0̃ .
Near the expected buckling p0 value, the behavior of U should start
altering from slowly changing to rapidly changing; the buckling behav-
ior is marked by a rapid decline in the value of U0 with any slight in-
crease in the loading term. When both the impurity factor, 𝛿, and the
nonuniformity parameter, 𝜀, are small, the decline in the value of U
should be an almost vertical decline. By tracking the behavior of U in
response to the increase of p0 with various combinations of the 𝛿 and
𝜀 parameters, the fundamental buckling behavior is expected to be ob-
served with the slightest magnitude of 𝛿.
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95

2.5. Deformation of ring To find the normalized deformation corresponding to each unde-
formed angular position, 𝜃, ̃ the undeformed coordinates of the point
A ring deforming only in-plane exposed to external pressure will de- of interest are subtracted from the deformed coordinates:
form gradually until a critical point, where the geometry of the ring can ( )
𝑢𝑥 𝑥 𝜃̃
take on two or more different forms of deformation. Investigations of = ̃
− cos 𝜃,
𝑅 𝑅
ring bending with the assumption of small deformations can only report
the critical point at which the deformation pattern can diverge, but this ( )
𝑢𝑦 𝑦 𝜃̃
investigation looks into the bending problem and captures the deforma- = − sin 𝜃̃
𝑅 𝑅
tion progression before and after the critical buckling point.
The perturbation solution discussed in the previous sections only The deformation formulation has been used to find the loading at
provides the curvature ratio, U, at any given point in the ring. To have which the opposite sides of the ring meet; this is the terminating load.
a better understanding of the ring’s deformation profile, an explicit re-
lationship between the curvature ratio and the deformation has to be 3. Results and discussion
established. This will result in a relationship between the deformed co-
ordinates corresponding to the undeformed angular location. Seide and The large deformation behavior of circular elastic rings with a uni-
Jamjoom [33] derived the deformation expressions in their work, which form cross-section under nonuniform loading of a sinusoidal profile has
are summarized in this section. been investigated using a perturbation approach. A “follower” load is
This study assumes a coordinate system with a horizontal x-axis and used where the pressure is normal to the centerline of the ring through-
a vertical y-axis intersecting at the center of the ring. The variables in the out the deformation process. The effect of adding an imperfection to
loading function are all assumed positive. Relating the curvature ration, a nonuniform loading pattern has been explored in this study. Specifi-
U = R/𝜌, to the loading function is done through a numerical solution cally, the loading pattern of cos(4𝜃) is mixed with an added imperfection
for Eq. (6), where the values of U(𝜃) ̃ are found using a perturbation term, 𝛿cos(2𝜃), with a small 𝛿 relative to unity resulting in the loading
technique. The angle between the x-axis and the normal to the centerline profile: p = p0 (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))).
of the deformed ring corresponding to a specific angular location, 𝜃, ̃ of The governing equation is described using differential equations re-
the undeformed ring can be expressed in the following form: lating the internal forces, in a differential element of the ring, to the
𝜃̃
local force resultant on the element. This resulting Duffing-type nonlin-
( )
𝜙 𝜃̃ = 𝑈 𝑑𝜃. ear differential equation was solved by means of perturbation technique
∫0 that produces an approximation of the curvature ratio function, U, for
The value of 𝜙(0) = 0, as it lies on the general axis of symmetry is each 𝜀, 𝛿, and p0 combination.
lying on the x-axis. This relationship is used in deriving the position of This study investigated the curvature ratio value at 𝜃 = 0, U0 , with
a point on the ring in its deformed shape. the increase of loading term p0 . Buckling is observed when there is a
The expressions relating the coordinates of a point on the deformed large change in U0 with a minuscule change in p0 . The expected buck-
ring to the curvature normal angle function are: ling value for p0 is 3EI/R3 in accordance with the classic solution for
( ) the buckling load of a circular elastic ring under uniform loading with
𝑥 𝜃̃ 𝜃̃
the small deformations assumption [38]. A normalization of the pres-
=𝐴− sin 𝜙𝑑𝜃
𝑅 ∫0 sure load, p0̃ = p0 R3 /EI, is introduced to simplify the presentation of the
( ) results.
𝑦 𝜃̃ 𝜃̃ The classical buckling value for rings under a loading
=𝐵+ cos 𝜙𝑑𝜃
𝑅 ∫0 p = p0 (1+𝜀cos(2𝜃)) is p0̃ = 3, whereas for rings under a loading
p = p0 (1+𝜀cos(4𝜃)) is p0̃ = 15. Remarkably, the expected buckling load,
where x is the horizontal coordinate and y is the vertical coordinate of if any impurity, 𝛿, of the lower mode is present with the higher mode
the centerline of the deformed ring in a Cartesian system with origin at loading p = p0 (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))), is p0̃ = 3.
the center of the undeformed ring, and A and B are constants of integra- To capture the load-deformation behavior of the ring with increas-
tion. ing normalized average loading, p0̃ , the values of the curvature ratio at
Because only doubly symmetric loading patterns are investigated in 𝜃 = 0, U0 , the normalized deformation in the x direction at 𝜃 = 0, ux ,
this work, only doubly symmetric deformations are allowed. The axes of and the normalized deformation in the y direction at 𝜃 = 𝜋/2, uy , are
symmetry are the horizontal x-axis and the vertical y-axis, which means recorded for each combination of p0̃ , 𝜀, and 𝛿.
that y(0) = 0 and x(𝜋/2) = 0. This allows for solving of A and B: With the increase of the normalized loading value, p0̃ , the ring will
𝜋∕2 deform in the shapes of either of the patterns in Fig. 3. Capturing the
𝐴= sin 𝜙𝑑𝜃 lowest buckling mode is the aim of this study in the event that there
∫0
is an imperfection in the loading. Thus, the solution that produced an
abrupt change in the value of U0 around the classical buckling value
𝐵=0 was taken into consideration.
Fig. 4 describes the load-deformation behavior of the ring under the
From this, we finally arrive at the final expressions for the coordi-
pressure profile p̃ = p0̃ (1+𝜀(0.01cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))). The term p̃ is the
nates of the centerline of the ring:
( ) normalized pressure magnitude at each angular location, and p0̃ is the
𝑥 𝜃̃ 𝜋∕2 𝜃̃ 𝜋∕2 normalized average pressure parameter for the ring circumference. The
= sin 𝜙𝑑 𝜃 − sin 𝜙𝑑 𝜃 = sin 𝜙𝑑 𝜃
𝑅 ∫0 ∫0 ∫𝜃̃ impurity factor used is 𝛿 = 0.01, and the imperfection parameter used
varies between different magnitudes; 𝜀 = 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5,
( )
𝑦 𝜃̃ 𝜃̃ and 1. Each imperfection parameter has been plotted with a different
= cos 𝜙𝑑𝜃 line, which can be found in the legend. The first part of the figure shows
𝑅 ∫0
the plots of U0 vs. p0̃ . There is an abrupt change in U0 , which is the
̃ value is calculated by finding 𝜙 values up to the undeformed
The x(𝜃) curvature ratio at 𝜃 = 0, observed around p0̃ = 3, which indicates buck-
̃ and then integrating the sine of 𝜙 up to the same
angle of interest, 𝜃, ling is taking place. The expected normalized loading value of buckling
undeformed angle of interest, 𝜃.̃ A similar process is used to calculate is p0̃ = 15 because the dominating loading pattern is cos(4𝜃), and the
̃
the y-coordinate of the deformed ring at any 𝜃. contribution of the cos(2𝜃) is 1/100 compared with cos(4𝜃). This small

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E. Azzuni, S. Guzey
Fig. 4. Results for p̃ = p0̃ (1 + 𝜀(0.01cos(2𝜃) + cos(4𝜃))).
impurity of 𝛿 = 0.01 resulted in the reduction of the normalized load-
ing of buckling from p0̃ = 15 to p0̃ = 3. The increase of the value of 𝜀
resulted in more deformation before buckling, but did not contribute to
increase or decrease the buckling load. The second part of Fig. 4 shows
the plots of normalized displacement, ux /R vs. normalized load p0̃ for
all the six values of 𝜀. Deformation towards the center of the ring is
positive. Around the value of p0̃ = 3 there is an abrupt increase in the
value of ux /R at the buckling load, and the value of ux /R = 1 is reached
shortly after buckling. This indicates that the opposite sides of the ring
came into contact, and the terminating load criteria are reached. In the
third part of Fig. 4, the plots of normalized displacement, uy /R vs. nor-
malized load p0̃ for all the six values of 𝜀 are shown. It can be observed
that for 𝜀 = 0.0001 and 0.001, the uy /R value initially increases as p0̃
increases. This indicates that the deformation was towards the center of
the ring, following the expected deformation in the case where there is
no cos(2𝜃) term. However, when the buckling starts at p0̃ = 3, the value
of uy /R starts to decrease, indicating that the deformation pattern fol-
lows a snap-through buckling behavior. The classical buckling load at
p̃0 = 3 was observed under the loading pattern of this study as shown in
Fig. 4. The buckling behavior is very sudden where the opposite sides
of the ring come into contact soon after the buckling onset. Fig. 5 shows
the progression of the deformation of the ring with increasing values of
p0̃ . There is very small deviation from the circular form at p0̃ = 3, while
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International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95
Fig. 5. Deformation progression for 𝛿 = 0.01 and 𝜀 = 0.01.
the two opposite sides come into contact at p0̃ = 3.00179944 which in-
dicates that the ring started undergoing the buckling process at p0̃ = 3.
In Fig. 6, the impurity factor, 𝛿, is equal to 0.1, which makes the con-
tribution of the cos(2𝜃) term relatively small compared to the dominant
cos(4𝜃) term. However, buckling at p0̃ = 3 is observed rather than the
expected buckling at p0̃ = 15. Similarly to Fig. 4, the first portion plots
U0 vs. p0̃ , the second portion plots ux /R, and the third portion plots
uy /R. The legend details the lines corresponding to each 𝜀 value. It can
be observed that when 𝜀 is relatively small (i.e. 𝜀 = 0.0001, 0.001, and
0.01) the buckling behavior at p0̃ = 3 is sudden with little deformation
beforehand, and only a small increase in p0̃ is required afterwards for
the opposite sides of the ring to meet. However, when 𝜀 is relatively
large (i.e. 𝜀 = 0.1, 0.5, and 1), significant deformation is captured be-
fore the classical buckling load; henceforth, the opposite sides of the
ring meet after a small increase in p0̃ . In the first portion of Fig. 6, it
can be observed that there is an unexpected increase of the value of
U0 in the vicinity of the loading value where the opposite sides of the
ring meet. Fig. 7 shows the progression of the deformation of the ring
with increasing values of p0̃ . It can be observed that the opposite sides
come into contact at p0̃ = 3.16988. To improve the ability of the pertur-
bation technique to capture the postbuckling behavior more accurately,
the number of terms used in the Fourier series approximation of the U
function should be increased. However, this is not within the scope of
this work, where the prebuckling behavior is well-captured by a Fourier
series expanded to the fourth term.
In Fig. 8, the impurity factor, 𝛿, is equal to 1, meaning that the par-
ticipation of the cos(2𝜃) term is equal to that of the cos(4𝜃) term. It is
expected for the influence of the cos(2𝜃) term to be more pronounced in
this case compared to the other cases. Six values of 𝜀 have been investi-
gated, which are related to each plotted line in the legend. For relatively
small values of 𝜀, 𝜀 = 0.0001 and 0.001, the buckling behavior is sudden,
where the ux /R value is almost equal to zero before p0̃ = 3. Fig. 8 also
shows that there is significant deformation in the ring before and after
the first classical buckling load for larger values of 𝜀. It should be noted
that in the case where 𝛿 = 1 the perturbation solution is better at cap-
turing the large deformation behavior after buckling comparing with
𝛿 = 0.1. The p0̃ value at which the opposite sides meet is significantly
higher than the one found for 𝛿 = 0.01 or 𝛿 = 0.1. Fig. 9 shows the pro-
gression of the deformation of the ring with increasing values of p0̃ .
While the expected p0̃ value for the opposite sides of a ring to come into
contact under uniform pressure is 5.247, our method observed that the
opposite sides come into contact at p0̃ = 4.7474, which might be because
the loading pattern holds two sinusoidal terms in addition to the uni-
form pressure. The results obtained using the perturbation approach for
a uniform pressure, 𝜀 = 0, are shown in Fig. 10 for reference here, where
the opposite sides meet at a uniform external pressure of p0̃ = 4.7474.
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95

Fig. 7. Deformation progression for 𝛿 = 0.1 and 𝜀 = 0.01.

Fig. 6. Results for p̃ = p0̃ (1 + 𝜀(0.1cos(2𝜃) + cos(4𝜃))).

The results obtained in this study indicate that buckling will occur
at the lower buckling mode with the presence of even the slightest of
imperfections to the loading pattern. The perturbation solution captures
the postbuckling behavior with accuracy dependent on the number of
terms used in the assumed curvature ratio, U, function. This is illus-
trated in Fig. 11 where the results of this study for the values of U0
are compared with the numerical solution by Seide and Jamjoom [33],
in which the loading pattern p̃ = p0̃ (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))) was used
with their methodology. Note that Seide and Jamjoom [33] did not have
that loading in their work. We have generated the results for that load-
ing using Seide and Jamjoom numerical approach. It can be observed
that the results of the perturbation technique match the results of the of
large deformations results obtained by Seide and Jamjoom [33] in the
prebuckling domain.
Fig. 12 shows the deformation pattern of a ring under uniform pres-
sure as found by using Seide and Jamjoom’s methodology [33] in which
a uniform loading pattern, p̃ = p0̃ , was used. It can be observed in the fig-
ure that there is barely any deformation in the ring at loading level of
p̃0 = 3 (critical buckling point), but at a relatively small increase in the
loading to p0̃ = 3.5 the ring deforms to almost half the radius. The figure Fig. 8. Results for p̃ = p0̃ (1 + 𝜀(1cos(2𝜃) + cos(4𝜃))).
shows the deformation level at p0̃ = 4.7474, which is the loading level
at which the perturbation technique used in this study predicts the op-
posite sides to meet for uniform pressure as demonstrated in Fig. 10.

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E. Azzuni, S. Guzey International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95

Fig. 9. Deformation progression for 𝛿 = 1 and 𝜀 = 0.01.

Fig. 10. Deformation progression for 𝜀 = 0.

Fig. 11. Comparison between the solution of the numerical approach and the perturba-
Note that, the opposite sides of rings under uniform pressure meet at tion solution for p̃ = p0̃ (1 + 𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃) + cos(4𝜃))).
p0̃ = 5.247 in the literature (see for example reference [15,17], or [19]).
Fig. 13 shows how the deformations obtained in this study compared
with those from literature [33]. The solid lines represents the perturba-
tion solution for different 𝜀 values and the dashed lines represent the
solution from the literature for uniform pressure at various loading lev-
els. The first quadrant shows the deformation progression of the ring as
obtained through the perturbation technique for uniform pressure, or
𝜀 = 0. The second quadrant shows results for 𝜀 = 0.01, the third quad-
rant for 𝜀 = 0.1, and the fourth quadrant for 𝜀 = 1; the value of 𝛿 = 0.1.
The loading level at which the sides meet can be obtained from the re-
sults shown in Fig. 6. It can be observed that the perturbation solution
for uniform pressure, as shown in the first quadrant, matches the solu-
tion from the literature well at the early stages of postbuckling. For the
rest of the quadrants, it is expected to have higher deformation for the
same loading level as 𝜀 increases, which is what is observed in Fig. 13. It
is also observed that at p0̃ = 3, for 𝜀 values other than zero, there exists
some deformation before the onset of buckling for 𝜀 greater than zero;
this is due to nonuniform loading.
In the case of a nonuniform loading function with a sinusoidal pat-
tern, adding an imperfection term to the loading pattern is necessary to
capture lower buckling modes when using the perturbation technique.
The results obtained by Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34] for the loading pat-
Fig. 12. Postbuckling solution of ring under uniform pressure as obtained from Seide and
tern p = p0 (1+𝜀 cos(4𝜃)) show that rings do not buckle at the fundamen- Jamjoom’s approach [33].
tal mode, cos(2𝜃) mode, but they buckle at the cos(4𝜃) mode which is
dictated by the loading function. This is illustrated in Fig. 2 where it can

93
E. Azzuni, S. Guzey
Fig. 13. Comparison between the postbuckling solution from Fig. 12 for a Ring under
uniform pressure represented with dark dashed lines compared to the perturbation solu-
tion obtained for nonuniform pressure for 𝛿 = 0.1 and different values of 𝜀 represented
with solid lines at various loading levels.
be observed as the deformation pattern corresponds to the cos(4𝜃). This
behavior can be contested in real-life scenarios when 𝜀 is very small and
the loading pattern is very close to uniform. Furthermore, many real-
life loading profiles are approximated and idealized as a finite Fourier
series expansion; loss of accuracy is inevitable in these approximations.
For example, the wind pressure distribution acting on a cylindrical tank
is modeled by mathematical expressions, which only show best-fit terms
to simplify the wind loading profile. The accuracy of an approximation
of the wind loading profile is dependent on the number of terms used
to describe it.
When the loading pattern is very close to being uniform, rings might
buckle at the fundamental mode. However, the perturbation technique
does not capture the fundamental buckling mode with an idealized
mathematical representation of the loading profile that excludes the fun-
damental loading pattern. This can be solved by adding a very small im-
perfection matching the shape of the first buckling mode to any loading
pattern to observe the fundamental buckling load.
This study shows that circular rings with imperfections matching the
first buckled shape will buckle at the first buckling mode; this extends
Southwell’s [35] findings and observations on the buckling of columns
subject axial compression. This intuitive outcome is now proven by
means of a semi-analytical approach, and can be used in many practical
applications where external pressure profiles are expressed in analytical
formulations.
4. Conclusion
This study investigated the influence of load imperfections on the
buckling behavior of thin elastic circular rings through the use of a per-
turbation technique. The buckling behavior of rings subject to the exter-
nal loading pattern p̃ = p0̃ (1+𝜀(𝛿cos(2𝜃)+cos(4𝜃))) was investigated by
capturing the large deformation behavior as p0̃ was increased. The per-
turbation technique was used to solve a Duffing-type differential equa-
tion describing the large deformation behavior of a ring subject to a
loading normal to the centerline of the ring.
The governing differential equation was originally developed by
Seide and Jamjoom [33] where they used a numerical approach to solve
the equation for a specific loading profile. The perturbation approach
was first used by Hassan and El-Ghabaty [34] to solve the governing
equation for a sinusoidal loading profile. The methodology on which
the perturbation solution is built has been explained in detail in earlier
sections of this paper to ease the reproduction of this work. This work
shows that even with the presence of loading imperfections of higher
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International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 137 (2018) 86–95
sinusoidal terms, the first buckling mode still governs the large defor-
mations behavior of a ring when there exists a first mode imperfection.
Other numerical procedures did not include the imperfection of a lower
mode, and were able to capture higher buckling modes only.
With the majority of scholarly work focusing on the effects of perfect
uniform and nonuniform pressure on the buckling of rings, this work
proves that any magnitude of imperfection in the ring will affect the
buckling load. The aim of this work is to extend the observations by
Southwell [35] on the buckling of columns to circular rings; imperfec-
tions in the fundamental buckling shape will lead to buckling in the first
mode. The perturbation technique used in this study captured buckling
at the lower mode corresponding to the imperfection profile. Buckling
was observed through a large increase in deformation with little increase
in the applied load. The large deformation behavior obtained through
the perturbation technique was captured with good agreement to the
numerical solution derived from the work of Seide and Jamjoom [33].
This study also shows that the perturbation technique is suitable to
detect the deformations behavior before buckling, and can accurately
predict the buckling load after which the ring will collapse quickly. This
investigation shows that the ring will buckle at the first mode with the
presence of a loading pattern imperfection matching the shape of the
first buckling mode.
The results of this study can be extended to applications like wind
girders in above ground cylindrical storage tanks, where the wind load-
ing contains terms in the fundamental mode. The study of the buckling
of wind girders can be reduced to studying the effect of buckling at the
fundamental mode, rather than investigating higher buckling modes.
Also, the use of the perturbation technique to capture the large defor-
mation behavior of the wind girders before collapse can be advanta-
geous when compared with relatively more time-consuming numerical
methods such as finite element methods.
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