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This bulletin provides stability criteria for determining the structural adequacy against buckling of circular cylindrical members when subjected to axial load, bending and external pressure acting independently or in combination. The cylinders may be unstiffened, longitudinally stiffened, ring stiffened or stiffened with both longitudinal and ring stiffeners. The research leading to the development of the criteria is documented in Ref. 1 and the Commentary.

The buckling capacities of the cylinders are based on linear bifurcation (classical) analyses reduced by capacity reduction factors which account for the effects of imperfections and nonlinearity in geometry and boundary conditions and by plasticity reduction factors which account for nonlinearity in material properties. The reduction factors were determined from tests conducted on fabricated steel cylinders. The plasticity reduction factors include the effects of residual stresses resulting from the fabrication process.

Fabricated cylinders are produced by butt welding together cold or hot formed plate materials. Long fabricated cylinders are generally made by butt welding together a series of short sections, commonly referred to as cans, with the longitudinal welds rotated between the cans.