Cylindrical Curved Panels Subjected to a Longitudinal Compression.

The use of curved panels for the construction of steel bridges becomes more and more popular. Their design is however made difficult by a lack of specifications, especially in European Standards. The present study aims thus at developing a method for predicting the ultimate strength of cylindrical unstiffened curved panels subjected to uniform axial compression. The methodology used in this study is based on the formal procedure recommended by Eurocode 3 for all types of stability verifications. The buckling critical load and the ultimate strength of cylindrical panels will be clarified by finite element analysis.