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The paper was not received very well in the UK; because it had not got any experimental results.  Critics said, "That the corrugated pressure hull will collapse axially like a bellows".  However, I knew this would happen if the half-cone angles of the circular-in-cross-section corrugations were too large and in any case, my computer program told me so.  In my computer program I had used my own finite elements.  Moreover I had published the program in reference [2]; so critics were in a position to examine the mathematics and physics of my finite elements; together with my computer coding.

[2]  ROSS, C T F.  "Finite Element Programs for Axisymmetric Problems in Engineering", HORWOOD, 297 pages, 1984.

However, a few years after these rebuttals, I discovered that the humble food can was corrugated in its flank.  Now the reason for this is that after the bottom end of the food can is connected to its flank, the inside of the food can is washed and dried and then filled with hot food.  Then the top end of the can is sealed to the flank of the vessel; while the food it contains, is still hot; for hygenic reasons.  When the food cools, the inside volume of the can takes the form of a vacuum, so that if the can is not corrugated in its flank, it will buckle in its flank, just like a submarine pressure hull, through general instability; with evenly spaced circumferential waves forming around its flank.  Thus, I buckled many food cans under uniform external hydrostatic pressure; which all failed through general instability and I published another SNAME paper in the "Journal of Ship Research" [3].

[3]  ROSS, C T F, and PALMER A, "General Instability of Swedge-Stiffened Circular Cylinder Under Uniform External Pressure", SNAME J of Ship Research USA, 37, 68-76, 1993.

The experimental results completely vindicated my design; showing that the suitably corrugated model submarine pressure hull collapsed in its flank in the same way as a conventionally ring-stiffened submarine pressure hull.
I then realised that some 300 million beverage cans are consumed daily in the USA and according to Omega Research Associates of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, some 32 billion food cans are consumed worldwide p.a.  Thus, if we make a saving of 1 cent per food can, we can save some $320- million p.a.  I took my design to my employer, requesting 'him' to patent it, but 'he' declined to patent it, so I decided to publish a paper on this topic in the "Journal of Thin-Walled Structures" [4].

[4]  ROSS, C T F.  “A Redesign of the Corrugated Tin Can”, J Thin-Walled Structures, 26, No 3, pp 179-193, 1996.

Some 10 years after the publication of Reference [4], I have noticed that the canning industry have incorporated my design.  I have not received a penny piece for this work, but I am glad to know that my invention is environmentally friendly.