Structural behavior of shells with different cutouts under compression: An experimental study

• Specimens with different shapes of cutout showed a unique buckling mode.
• “b” was the most important parameter in the capacity of the perforated specimens.
• For small cutouts, the buckling approached the center of the opening.
• Cutout had slightly less effect in half-cutouts in comparison with full ones.
• The height and the shape of the cutout had no significant effect on the capacity.

A considerable volume of literature is found regarding the effect of an opening in thin cylindrical shells under different loading. Among these, quite a few of the references are directly related to the cutouts along the length of the shells in the form of entrance doors. The main focus of this study is the tubes with door-shaped cutouts under axial loading. Different buckling modes as well as the effect of geometric parameters of a cutout were examined in this study. A stiffening method was also used to decrease the effect of the cutout on the capacity of such structures.