Buckling of thin shells: Recent advances and trends

This paper provides a review of recent research advances and trends in the area of thin shell buckling. Only the more important and interesting aspects of recent research, judged from a personal view point, are discussed. In particular, the following topics are given emphasis: (a) imperfections in real structures and their influence; (b) buckling of shells under local/non-uniform loads and localized compressive stresses; and (c) the use of computer buckling analysis in the stability design of complex thin shell structures.