The occurrence of dynamic buckling of thick rings responding to an impulse load is investigated by analytical and numerical solutions to the equation of motion and by nonlinear finite element analyses. An extension to the linearized analytical solution is made using a finite difference scheme which incorporates a nonlinear moment-curvature relationship to model the effects of elastoplastic behavior and strain-rate reversal on the buckle formation. The finite element solution to the problem is formulated with the nonlinear code, ADINA. A comparison of the results shows that the numerical solutions (and, in particular, the ADINA solution) predict a significant reduction in the amplitude of buckling response and an increase in the predominant wavelength of response with time, in comparison to the linear analytical solution. A limited comparison to published experimental results of dynamic pulse buckling of thick rings is also given.
