Numerical investigation on the ultimate strength of stiffened cylindrical shells considering residual stresses and shakedown

In this paper, the effects of residual stresses on the ultimate strength of stiffened cylinders are numerically investigated with an emphasis on shakedown which might occur during the service of these structures. Residual stresses caused by two types of actions, namely, cold bending and welding, are simulated with simplified approaches in numerical analysis. Cold bending stresses are simulated by simulating cold rolling and elastic springback until the desired curvature for cylindrical shell is obtained. Welding is simulated by applying cooling down to a certain temperature on the elements adjacent to stiffener-shell joints to obtain weld-shrinkage with realistic magnitudes. Six small-scale externally pressurized ring-stiffened cylinder models are utilized to evaluate the appropriateness of the method for inclusion of welding residual stresses in numerical analysis by comparing the experimental and numerical results. Ultimate strength analyses are then performed for a reference ring-stiffened cylinder model under radial pressure and stringer-stiffened cylinder under axial loading. To assess the effect of shakedown, after applying cyclic compressive loading to the ring-stiffened cylinder model, the level of stress relief and the change in the ultimate strength are evaluated.