Experiments on locally dented conical shells under axial compression

Steel conical shells have long been used in various parts of different structures. Sensitivity to the initial geometrical imperfection has been one of the most significant issues on the stability of these structures, which has made them highly vulnerable to the buckling. Most attention has been devoted to structures under normal fabrication related imperfections. Notwithstanding, the challenges of large local imperfections – presented herein as dent-shaped imperfections – have not been a focus yet for these structures. This study aims to provide experimental data on the effect of such imperfections on the buckling capacity of these shells under axial compression. The results show changes in the buckling mode and the capacity for such damaged thin specimens as is outlined in this paper, with an average overall capacity reduction of 11%.