Materials Research Innovations

ISSN: 1432-8917 (Print) 1433-075X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ymri20

Effects of geometrical and physical parameters on

axial impact buckling behaviour of elastic–plastic
cylindrical shells

S Y Zhang & T Zhang

To cite this article: S Y Zhang & T Zhang (2011) Effects of geometrical and physical parameters
on axial impact buckling behaviour of elastic–plastic cylindrical shells, Materials Research
Innovations, 15:sup1, s10-s7, DOI: 10.1179/143307511X12858956846436

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/143307511X12858956846436

Published online: 12 Nov 2013.

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Download by: [Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi] Date: 13 April 2016, At: 20:08
 Effects of geometrical and physical
parameters on axial impact buckling
behaviour of elastic–plastic cylindrical shells
S. Y. Zhang and T. Zhang*
The buckling behaviour and collapse mechanism of elastic–plastic cylindrical shells subjected to
longitudinal impact were studied by impact experiments and computer simulations. Attention was
focused on the influence of the geometry and material property of the shell and loading condition
on dynamic buckling response. Varieties of bucking models and the switching between the
modes in buckling process were observed. Particularly, the phenomenon of so called dynamic
Downloaded by [Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi] at 20:08 13 April 2016

plastic buckling in relatively low impact velocity was captured by high speed photograph in
impact test of cooper specimen. This experimentally confirms that the dynamic plastic buckling
does not necessarily require high impact velocity. The whole process of impact buckling was
simulated by LS-DYNA code. The effects of the stress wave and the transverse inertia and plastic
hardening modulus, etc. on initiation of wrinkle in earlier phase of buckling are analysed.
Keywords: Cylindrical shell, Axial impact, Dynamic buckling, Modes switching, Stress wave effect

Introduction the time–history curves of impact force and velocity at

During the past 30 years, because of the need to
investigate structural crashworthiness and to design
energy absorbing devices, the study of the dynamic
buckling of the cylindrical shells under intense impact
loads became an active field and acquired many
applicable results.1–4 In this paper, the authors focus
on the mechanism of the occurrence of different
buckling modes and condition of switching between
the modes. The experimental investigations on the
dynamic elastic–plastic buckling of steel, copper and
aluminium specimens were carried out using an aero-
dynamic gun and a big drop hammer rig (DHR).
Varieties of buckling modes were observed and the time–
history curves of impact force for certain specimens were
recorded. The majority of modes take on axisymmetric
concertina or non-axisymmetric diamond patterns.
Some specimens initially deformed in the concertina
mode and after one or several rings were formed, the
collapse mode switched to the diamond mode. In the
present test, the so called dynamic plastic buckling
phenomenon can be observed only in copper specimens.
The whole process of dynamic bucking was simulated by
LS-DYNA code. The constitutive relations of an elastic–
plastic material with linear hardening and an elastovis-
coplastic model proposed by Cowper–Symonds were
used in the numerical simulations. The distributions of
radial displacement along a shell in different times and
Institute of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Taiyuan
University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
*Corresponding author, email zhangtao19821219@sina.com
proximal end were given.
Impact experiment
Loading set-up
In the present experiment, the impact loading is carried
out using a DHR and an aerodynamic gun. The DHR is
13?47 m high and the largest impact velocity can reach
15?7 m s21.The hammer mass ranges from 1?9 to
240 kg. Matching with different heights the rig can
satisfy experimental requirement for large pulse kinetic
energy. A force sensor can be fixed at the bottom of the
hammer to record the time–history of impact force.
Another loading apparatus used is an aerodynamic gun.
In this test, the bullet drived by compressive air impacts
a shell specimen with unmovable distal end. The bullets
are made of A3 steel with the diameter d514 mm and
the length l5200, 100 mm respectively. The correspond-
ing mass of bullets is 234?5 and 118?5 g respectively. The
highest impact velocity can reach 40 m s21. The impact
velocity of bullet can be measured by the laser velocity
measurement system.
Experimental results
The specimens used in this experiment are made of steel,
copper and aluminium. The experimental results for
different material are described as follows:
(i) The impact test for steel specimen was completed
using a DHR. The steel tubes of 44 mm diameter
and 1 mm thickness, at Young’s modulus
E5210 GPa and yield stress s05300 MPa were
employed as specimens. Figure 1a shows final
buckling modes of one group of steel specimens
with a length of 88 mm. In this group, the

ß W. S. Maney & Son Ltd. 2011

Received 20 September 2010; accepted 15 November 2010
DOI 10.1179/143307511X12858956846436 Materials Research Innovations 2011 VOL 15 SUPPL 1 S7
 Zhang and Zhang Effects of parameters on behaviour of elastic–plastic shells

hammer mass is 28?72 kg and the lift heights of

the hammer are 5, 5?5, 6, 6?5, 7 and 7?5 m
successively from left to right. It can be seen that
only dynamic progressive buckling takes place.
All modes take on axisymmetric concertina or
non-axisymmetric diamond (triangular). In pro-
cess of buckling development the axisymmetric
mode can switch to non-axisymmetric mode.
Figure 2 shows a time–history curve of impact
force recorded by a force sensor. In this test, the
hammer mass is 201?8 kg and the lift height is
1?5 m, and the length of specimens is 220 mm.
The curve has some fundamental common
characteristics, i.e. the impact force quickly
reaches an initial peak leading to the first buckling
wrinkle and then exhibits regular fluctuations
corresponding to the progressive buckling. The
number of peaks in the curve and the number of
wrinkles in corresponding specimen are the same.
(ii) A group of copper tubes of 61?5 mm length,
15?1 mm diameter and 0?5 mm thickness at
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Young’s modulus E5154?82 GPa and yield

stress s05413?53 MPa is employed as specimens
in the impact test loaded using an aerodynamic
gun. The impact velocity ranges from 10 to
40 m s21. Figure 1b shows typical residual
modes of the copper specimens. It can be seen
from three specimens in the left of Fig. 1b that
the mode corresponding to dynamic plastic
buckling may occur when the tube is impacted
by a bullet with small mass and high speed.
However, few dynamic plastic buckling phenom-
ena can be observed in the test. Surprisingly, a
picture of dynamic plastic buckling in relatively
low velocity was captured using high speed
photograph (Fig. 3). In this test a copper tube
of 45 mm diameter, 1?5 mm thickness and
80 mm height is loaded by a drop hammer of
100 kg mass and 5?5 m s21 velocity.
(iii) The impact test for an aluminium specimen of
19 mm diameter, 1 mm thickness and 10 mm
length was performed by a DHR. The buckling
modes are shown in Fig. 1c. It can be seen that
the pattern of buckling belongs to dynamic
progressive buckling and the majority of non-
axisymmetric modes are elliptic. If the diameter
is changed to 63 mm and other parameters kept
constant, then the lobe of diamond mode is
square. The dynamic plastic buckling was not
observed due to low impact velocity in the test
loaded by DHR. In process of buckling devel-
opment the switching from axisymmetric to
diamond mode often occurs, but inverse switch-
ing is impossible.
Computer simulations
The simulations provided here were carried out by LS-
DYNA computer code and finite element model builder
(FEMB) as pre- and post-processor. Belytschko–Tsay
shell element with four nodes was used to model the shell
wall. The total number of elements ranged from 25 000
to 60 000 depending on different conditions. The
contacts between the shell and the striker and between
the distal end of the shell and rigid surface were defined
using point to surface contact. The simulations were
a steel; b copper; c aluminium
1 Buckling modes of different specimens
performed in six kinds of conditions. The shell speci-
mens numbered A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 are made of
elastic–plastic material. The specimen A6 is made of
elastic–viscoelastic material. The parameters used in
calculations (see Table 1) were selected to understand
the influence of various factors.
Figure 4a shows the radial displacement distribution
along entire length and corresponding buckling mode of
A1 at t5470 ms. It is obvious that the buckling pattern of
A1 belongs to the dynamic plastic buckling. The
computational parameters of A1 and A2 are the same
except the plastic hardening modulus. However, in
contrast to A1, A2 with lower plastic hardening modulus
exhibits the dynamic progressive buckling as shown in
Fig. 4b. Shell A3 is different only in thickness from A1.
Figure 4c shows computational results of A3 at t5230 ms.
The comparison between Fig. 4a and c indicates that the
occurrence of the dynamic progressive buckling in thinner
shell is relatively easy. Figure 4d shows the radial
displacement distribution along entire length and corre-
sponding buckling mode of A4 at t57780 ms. The
comparison between Fig. 4a and d indicates that the
impact with large mass and low velocity has a tendency to
produce the dynamic progressive buckling. Figure 4e and
f shows time–history curves of velocity at impact end for
two kinds of conditions corresponding to A1 and A4. It
can be seen that the duration of buckling process for the
condition A1 with high velocity and small mass is
y500 ms and the duration for A4 y10 ms. The effects
of shell length on buckling behaviour are examined. The
length of A5 is 1?5 times larger than that of A1. Shell A1
exhibits the dynamic plastic buckling, but A5 takes on the
dynamic progressive buckling. This is because in the case
of long shell the radial inertia together with the
circumferential membrane force Nh cannot support the
unbuckled shape long time enough for the plastic wave to
propagate over the entire shell length.
The specimen A6 is made of elastic–viscoelastic
material. The strain rate effects are taken into account

S8 Materials Research Innovations 2011 VOL 15 SUPPL 1

 Zhang and Zhang Effects of parameters on behaviour of elastic–plastic shells

2 Time–history curves of impact force at proximal end and corresponding mode

conditions of the transition between these modes are very

important to develop the desired buckling mode. From
viewpoint of energy absorbability, the progressive buck-
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ling of a cylindrical shell with a constant average collapse

3 Buckling mode of copper tube loaded by DHR
using the constitutive relation proposed by Cowper–
Symonds. The material constants used in calculation are
D540 and q55. Figure 4g shows the radial displace-
ment distribution curve and buckling mode of A6 at
t537 ms. The further analysis indicates that the shells
made from strain rate sensitive material always buckle
progressively. Figure 4h shows the time–history curve of
impact force. It is quite consistent with the experimental
record shown in Fig. 2.
Discussion and conclusions
1. In the dynamic buckling responses of elastic–plastic
cylindrical shells under axial impact, there are three kinds
of buckling patterns, namely, dynamic plastic buckling,
dynamic progressive buckling and global bending. Insight
into the occurrence mechanism of each mode and the
load and longer available stroke presents an efficient way
of absorbing kinetic energy.
2. In the tests of each group, the dynamic progressive
buckling modes were observed. The dynamic plastic
buckling mode was observed only in a few copper
specimens and one of them was obtained in relatively
low impact velocity. This experimentally breaks pre-
vious conclusion that the high velocity impact is a
necessary and sufficient condition to develop dynamic
plastic buckling. The above experiment phenomena can
be explained from the threshold velocity V0,pb52s0/
(31/2rcp) necessary to produce plastic buckling,4 where
s0 is the yield stress and cp is the elastic wave speed in
the thin plate. It must be pointed that V0.V0,pb is not a
sufficient condition to develop this particular buckling
pattern. The specimens made from copper and alumi-
nium may develop dynamic plastic buckling, but the
required impact velocity for aluminium specimen is
much higher than that for copper specimen because the
density of aluminium is obviously less than that of
copper. Hence the dynamic plastic buckling of alumi-
nium specimens has not been observed in this test.
However, the dynamic plastic buckling has not been
observed for all steel specimens perhaps due to strain
rate sensitivity of steel.
3. The results of simulations indicate that the forma-
tion of a sustained axial plastic flow covering the entire
length of shell is a sufficient condition to develop the
dynamic plastic buckling. This condition requires an
appropriate combination of plastic hardening modulus,
material density, thickness and length of shell and
impact velocity. The dynamic progressive buckling with
localisation characteristics easily develops in a longer

Table 1 Parameters used in calculations

Shell L, mm R, mm H, mm s0, MPa E, GPa Eh, MPa r, kg m23 V0, m s21 G, kg

A1 106.5 11.9 1.8 295 72.4 542.6 2700 180 0.081

A2 106.5 11.9 1.8 295 72.4 271.3 2700 180 0.081
A3 106.5 11.9 0.9 295 72.4 542.6 2700 180 0.081
A4 106.5 11.9 1.8 295 72.4 542.6 2700 10 26.262
A5 156.5 11.9 1.8 295 72.4 542.6 2700 180 0.081
A6 220 22 1.0 300 210 0 7850 5.44 201.8

Materials Research Innovations 2011 VOL 15 SUPPL 1 S9

 Zhang and Zhang Effects of parameters on behaviour of elastic–plastic shells
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4 Numerical results of computer simulations using six different shell specimens
and thinner shell made from elastic–plastic material with
smaller plastic hardening modulus. The simulations also
point out that the duration of dynamic plastic buckling
is much shorter than that of dynamic progressive
buckling. The animation display arising from the
simulation for experiment condition shown in Fig. 4
indicates that the whole buckling process of this
specimen can be divided into three stages: initiation of
dynamic plastic buckling, development of dynamic
progressive buckling and final collapse.
4. The specimens used in the present test are relatively
short. Therefore, the global bending has not been re-
served. The previous research on impact buckling for long
circular tubes shows that the critical length for buckling
transition between dynamic progressive buckling and
S10 Materials Research Innovations 2011 VOL 15 SUPPL
global bending patterns have a tendency to increase with
increasing impact velocity.
Acknowledgement
The research is supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (grant no. 10772129).
References
1. H. E. Lindberg and A. L. Florence: ‘Dynamic pulse buckling’;
1987, Dordrecht, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
2. N. Jones: ‘Structural impact’; 1989, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press.
3. R. Wang, M. B. Han and Z. P. Huang: Int. J. Impact Eng., 1983, 1,
249–266.
4. D. Karagiozova: Lat. Am. J. Solids Struct., 2004, 1, 423–441.
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