Vibration correlation technique applied to cylindrical and conical shells—an overview of the recent developments

Resumo

Traditional buckling experiments of imperfection-sensitive structures like cylindrical or conical shells
may result in the permanent failure of the specimen. Yet, for validating the numerical models and, consequently,
the design of aerospace barrel structures, to perform a qualification test is a crucial step. There is, therefore, interest

in non-destructive experimental procedures for predicting the buckling load of these structures from the pre-
buckling stage, allowing the use of the same specimen in further qualification tests. An example of these

methodologies is the Vibration Correlation Technique (VCT), which allows determining the buckling load without
reaching the instability point through a sequence of vibration tests performed at different load levels. In this review,
focus will be given to the VCT applied to cylindrical and conical shells, revisiting the analytical foundation
supporting its applicability together with experimental and numerical results of simplified downscaled barrel
structures with different design details and test conditions, highlighting its non-destructive characteristic. The state
of the art corroborates the robustness of the VCT when applied to imperfection-sensitive thin-walled structures;
however, more test results, especially for real-scale barrel structures, are needed for expanding the experimental
database and confirming the application of VCT to predict the buckling load these structures.