Abstract
This study aims to experimentally investigate buckling failure of stainless steel tube columns under external pressure which was laterally applied on the tubes. In present study, buckling failure temperature was measured for three different tubes (denoted as Tube 1, Tube 2, and Tube 3) in a wide range of pressure conditions. The relation between the external pressure and the buckling failure temperature was obtained for each tube. The results show different behaviors of the buckling failure temperature depending on the buckling mode. For the first mode of buckling (Tube 1 and Tube 2), the buckling failure temperature increased with decrease of pressure applied but it did not change after a certain pressure condition. However, the buckling failure temperature was linearly increased with the decrease of the pressure for the second mode of buckling (Tube 3). Additionally, the effect of tube dimensions (radius to thickness ratio, R/t) on the buckling failure temperature was also examined for four pressure conditions. Almost uniform buckling failure temperature was observed for tube columns with relatively small R/t values, but the failure temperature drastically decreased with increase of R/t values. Buckling processes under external pressure were visualized by using two high speed camera. These results will help understanding the Fukushima accident, particularly the drastic depressurization in Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants.
