Comparative buckling analysis of concrete and expanded polystyrene dome shells

Introduction: Various studies have been conducted to analyze the buckling behavior of concrete spherical shells. Nonetheless, no research is available that would investigate the buckling behavior of EPS (expanded polystyrene) shells. EPS has a very low self-weight compared to concrete. The purpose of the study is to investigate the comparative buckling characteristics of concrete and EPS shells. The respective self-weight and live load of 1.5 kN/m2 were considered. The methods used are Linear buckling analysis (LBA) and geometrically nonlinear buckling analysis (GNA) of sample domes with and without imperfections performed using Abaqus software. The results of the comparative analyses show that the critical buckling pressure of EPS and concrete spherical shells of the same geometry was found to be 122,634 N/m2 and 5560 N/m2, respectively. The ratio of the critical buckling pressure to the practical ultimate (dead load + live load) loading of concrete is 23.2, while for EPS, it is 2.22. Moreover, increasing the thickness of EPS from 100 to 200 mm increased the critical buckling pressure factor by 15.4 times. The maximum loading displacement of EPS (15.6 mm) was times less than the displacement caused by the buckling pressure. This finding demonstrates the feasibility of constructing EPS shells, with further research on the optimum geometry and construction mechanism.