A note on a numerical benchmark test: an axisymmetric shell under ring loads

Abstract

In this paper, a well-known numerical benchmark test which is usually solved with displacement control for low values of the load eccentricity is examined for a complete range of eccentricities of the ring load. For a certain range of the eccentricity the response shows either snap-through or snap-back, depending on the controlled variable. Thus, in this range of eccentricities, the test can be used to verify implementations of arc-length algorithms, using the displacement controlled solution as a reference. Moreover, results are presented for large eccentricities beyond the applicability of displacement-controlled strategies.