Buckling of thin shells: an overview

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control measurements may fail to detect imperfection modes that are more serious. Alternatively, if the characterisation of real imperfections is too simplistic (as a single weld depression), more deleterious modes may go undetected by the tolerance measurement system. If no information is available on the amplitude or form of realistic imperfections in the structure, and the geometry and load case are complex, the eigenmode method of choosing the imperfections for numerical analysis may be the only satisfactory approach. A better concept, however, would be to develop a statistically based imperfection model for a particular class of shell structures, fabricated using the same process, based on extensive measurements of real geometric imperfections on full-scale structures (Arbocz 1991; Rotter et al. 1992; Ding et al. 1996b). As in the Eurocode (ENV 1993-1-6 1999), this imperfection model should distinguish between high quality and low quality shells, and dene the strength in terms of reliability measures. Although this approach is desirable in the long term, it can only be developed after much more measurement of real structures, since data currently only exists for very few constructed shells (Rotter 1996b; Ding et al. 1996b). The new Eurocode (ENV 1993-1-6 1999) separates the different components of the overall shell buckling calculation into its distinct parts, and permits all the above categories of analysis to be used where appropriate. It carefully denes the manner in which the results of these analyses should be interpreted. The underlying philosophy may be read in Rotter (2002a,b).

Conclusions
This chapter has given an overview of the eld of the buckling of thin shell structures, focussing mostly on civil engineering shells, but with some features of shells used in other elds also noted. It has given an outline of the historical development of ideas about shell buckling, using the axially compressed cylinder as a paradigm. It has also indicated the huge range of problems in shell buckling that have been and are being investigated, pointing to the following chapters in which far more complete and detailed information will be set out. Finally, some discussion of the reliable use of numerical modelling of shell buckling problems has been given, indicating the challenges that still face the research community and designers alike, and setting out the need for additional data collection, imperfection characterisation and tolerance measurements. It is evident that this research eld is active and challenging, and will continue to remain so for a long time to come.

Acknowledgement
The authors wish to thank the ASME International for permitting them to make use of material contained in Teng (1996a) in the writing of this chapter.