Abstract

The stability of structures continues to be scientifically fascinating and technically important. Shell buckling emerged as one of the most challenging nonlinear problems in mechanics fifty years ago when it was intensively studied, and it has returned to life with new challenges motivated not only by structural applications but also by developments in the life sciences concerning soft materials. It is not uncommon for slightly imperfect thin cylindrical shells under axial compression or spherical shells under external pressure to buckle at 20% of the buckling load of the perfect shell. A brief historical overview of the catastrophic nature of shell buckling will be presented with the non-specialist in mind followed by a discussion of recent work by the speaker and several collaborators on the buckling of spherical shells. Experimental and theoretical work will be described with a focus on imperfection-sensitivity and on viewing the phenomena within the larger context of nonlinear stability.