INVESTIGATION OF THE STRENGTH-WEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF CYLINDRICAL SANDWICH-TYPE PRESSURE HULL STRUCTURES,

摘要

Seven structural models fabricated (welded construction) of nominal 100,000-psi yield steel were designed and tested to collapse under external hydrostatic pressure to investigate the strength-weight characteristics of cylindrical sandwich pressure hulls. Four of these models were comprised of two concentric cylindrical shells with a core of annular web-type stiffeners,two others had toroidal tube-type stiffening elements,and the core of the seventh model consisted of straight tube elements oriented in the longitudinal direction. The results of this series of hydrostatic tests indicate that in certain ranges and subject to certain restrictions on geometry, sandwichtype cylindrical pressure hulls may possess structural efficiencies on the order of 10to 20percent higher than those for conventional ring-stiffened constructions. The sandwich concept provides a practical and efficient means for fabricating the thick walls required in vehicles for deep-depth operation. (Author)