Static and Dynamic Tests of Composite Cylindrical Shells Under Axial Compression

The results of the study performed at the Politecnico di Milano inside the European project DAEDALOS on three composite cylindrical shells are here presented. At first, static buckling tests were performed under axial compression. Then, two types of dynamic tests were carried on: dynamic buckling tests applying an axial shortening of short duration, and modal tests at different load levels before buckling. At the end, one shell was statically tested until final failure. The tests allow to understand the behavior of thin-walled cylindrical shells subjected to axial compression both in static and dynamic conditions. The results show the strength capacity of these structures to work in the post-buckling range with a capacity to sustain a load that is about 40% of the buckling load. Large deformations are obtained before the final failure with out-of-plane displacements of almost 40 mm and a shortening equal to about 26 times the buckling shortening. The importance of having measurements for thin-walled cylindrical shells in composite material is fundamental for the development and validation of numerical models.