Numerical and experimental buckling of segmented spiral pressure hulls.

To optimally coordinate the operational safety, manoeuvrability, positioning reliability, and space expansibility of deep-sea stations, this study proposed a segmented spiral pressure hull with reference to the geometry of worm snails. The design addresses the disadvantages of existing ring-stiffened cylinder, segmented sphere, and circular toroid structures. This study numerically and experimentally examined the buckling performance of segmented spiral pressure hulls. The numerical, experimental, and analytical data exhibited satisfactory agreement. The proposed pressure hulls exhibited a favourable space expansibility and buckled in a nonlinear manner. The buckling loads varied slightly after the threshold number of segments. All the post buckling modes were local dents. The current findings may serve as a reference for the research and development of original deep-sea stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]