This study examined the critical buckling characteristics of hydrostatically pressurized double-walled complete spherical shells. An analytical model based on small deflection thin shell theory is presented; the equations are solved in conjunction with variational principles. Axisymmetric and inextensional assumptions are not initially used in the exact formulation. This approach therefore avoids any discussion about the validity of the solution and allows the model to be extended to cover more generic nonaxisymmetric cases with relative ease. The analytical results are presented using illustrative buckling modes. Based on the developed formulation, only axisymmetric eigenmodes were found to occur despite the inclusion of the effect of interactions between outer and inner shells. Critical modes that are symmetric or antisymmetric about the equator may be determined depending on the combination of the stiffness connecting the outer and inner shells and the radius-to-wall thickness ratios.
