Abstract
Basic considerations of general instability of semi-monocoque structures under compression have been published in a previous paper (1). In order to make complete the theoretical treatment of the structure, both torsional effects of rings and stringers, and the shearing effect of the skin are investigated in the present paper. The final results are shown in Equation [28] and also are plotted in Figs. 4 and 5, for practical applications. The formula as derived involves use of more geometrical characteristics and section properties than have the formulas previously derived by other authors. It appears sufficiently general to cover longitudinal variations as well as radial variations of the structure concerned. A criterion is also developed for determining whether the cross section of the structure, under loading, buckles into an “elliptical shape,” or “multilobe pattern.”
