Stable Response of Axially Compressed Prismatic Polygonal Shells

Abstract We analyze the mechanical performance of a new class of shells, termed polygonal shells, using finite element (FE) analysis for a series of shell R/t ratios. Unlike cylindrical shells, the axial compressive response of polygonal shells is stable well into the postbuckled regime. We perform imperfection sensitivity studies by seeding polygonal and circular cylindrical shells with varying imperfection amplitudes. Preliminary results show that the response of polygonal shells, under axial compression, is controllable. These shells perform better than cylindrical shells with respect to imperfection sensitivity across a range of R/t ratios. Preliminary laboratory experiments using 3D-printed shells have validated the results from our computational predictions. The deformation patterns resulting from axial compressive loading experiments align closely with the computational predictions. The results show the influence of R/t and the number of edges η of the polygonal shell on the compressive response.