Dynamic stability of double-curvature composite shells under external blast

•We examined pulse buckling of a clamped, double-curvature composite shell.•Novozhilov non-linear shell theory and Lagrange׳s equations of motion were used.•Critical buckling curves were computed using the Budiansky–Roth criterion.•Buckling strength increases by decreasing the radius of curvature of the shell.

Dynamic pulse buckling of a fully clamped, double-curvature composite shell was examined using Novozhilov non-linear shell theory and Lagrange׳s equations of motion. Predictions of the shell׳s stable transient response were shown to compare well with finite element analysis using ABAQUS Explicit. Critical buckling curves were then computed for a given shell geometry using the Budiansky–Roth criterion. It was shown that the dynamic pulse buckling strength of a shell may be increased by decreasing the radius of curvature of the shell, thereby increasing its angular extent or making it deeper. Higher buckling modes are induced by making the shell deeper, and these are responsible for the increased buckling strength.