Free bulging of thin-walled cylinders closed by two heavy plates

Abstract This study focuses on the dieless free bulging of thin-walled stainless cylinders closed by two heavy plates. Using the plastic mechanics of shells of revolution and by making several basic assumptions, a family of analytical formulae are derived to evaluate the shell bulging properties such as surface area, internal capacity, thickness distribution, equivalent strain, and bulging pressure. The analytical and numerical data were found to be in good agreement with each other; the results were validated through a free bulging experiments carried out on three nominally identical thin-walled cylinders, which will provide a reference for the manufacture of underwater thin-walled pressure structures.