Nonlinear Deformation and Stability of an Elliptical Composite Cylindrical Shell under External Pressure

Article

Published: 04.08.2026

Published in issue: #8(176)/2026

DOI:

Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Strength and Thermal Conditions of Aircraft

The problem of stability of non-circular elliptical cylindrical shells made of composite material is solved, taking into account moment effects and material nonlinearity of their subcritical stress-strain state. The geometrically nonlinear stability problem is solved by finite element methods and the Newton–Kantorovich linearization method. Critical loads are determined in the process of solving a nonlinear problem using the Sylvester criterion. The finite elements of composite cylindrical shells of natural curvature developed by the author on the basis of the Timoshenko hypothesis are used, in the approximation of the displacements of which their rigid displacements are explicitly highlighted, which significantly affects the convergence of the solution. The stability of an elliptical, pivotally supported cylindrical shell made of a polymer composite material under external pressure is investigated. The influence of the monolayer laying methods, the nonlinearity of deformation, and the ellipticity parameter on the critical loads of shell stability loss and the high efficiency of composite shells has been clarified.

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