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The main objective of this paper is to investigate the validity of the finite element method (FEM) on the buckling and post-buckling behavior of laminated composite cylindrical shells that have been subjected to an external hydrostatic pressure. In addition, a buckling pressure equation that is based on the ASME and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) bucking equation and customized to USN125 composite material is also presented. In order to determine an application for composite material under external hydrostatic pressure, material tests were conducted for carbon–epoxy ply composite URN300 and USN125. The strength and stiffness of the fiber and resin of two composites were determined. Cylindrical panel tests were performed to investigate the behavior of post-buckling under vertical line load. Finite element analyses, using ABAQUS 6.6 code, have been performed, using a linear buckling model based on the solution of the eigenvalue problem, and a non-linear model based on the arc-length method for various cases. Furthermore, an external hydrostatic pressure test was conducted to verify numerical analysis. These results were compared with the previous results obtained by FEM on the buckling. Difference between FEM and the test result is expected to be approximately 18%.

Generally, an automobile has about 10 motors for actuators that are equipped with a cooling pan, air-conditioner, and door lock system. The shape of the motor-case is directly related to the noise and vibration of the components, so various forming processes such as deep-drawing, multi-step, and multi-forming, were developed to get higher accuracy and productivity. The multi-forming process is used in this study because it has the best productivity compared with the other forming methods. The simulation technique of motor-case forming was developed to reduce the developing time and trial-error. The manufacturing processes of a motor-case consist of plate blanking, forming, and sizing. This study is focused on the core design of the multi-forming process. The blanked plate and forming dies are modeled to two- and three-dimension and analyzed by the finite element method using a commercial software DEFORM which is based on the elastic–plastic finite element theory. Two kinds of core, a circle and an ellipse, have been designed. Because of the springback effect, the roundness of the elliptic core is better than that of the circular core. The same rule is applied to the diameter ranges (20–40 mm) and yield strength levels (175–240 MPa) of low carbon steel.