Buckling of tube-stiffened prolate domes under external water pressure

Abstract The paper describes experimental tests carried out on three tube-stiffened prolate hemi-ellipsoidal domes under external water pressure. The tubes were stuck to the internal surfaces of these three domes, in their flanks, and the experimental tests showed that the tubes increased the buckling pressures of these domes, especially in one case, when the tube was subjected to an initial internal pressure. All three domes failed by lobar buckling, in their flanks, and showed buckling resistances much larger than similar unstiffened domes.