Keele Research Repository

We consider localized bulging of an inflated cylindrical hyperelastic tube of arbitrary thickness that is helically reinforced by two families of fibres. It is shown that localized bulging may become impossible, irrespective of the end conditions, when the tube wall becomes thick enough. This is in sharp contrast with an isotropic hyperelastic tube without fibre reinforcement for which localized bulging has previously been shown to be possible no matter how thick the tube wall is and for which the membrane theory provides a very good approximation for the ratio of wall-thickness/radius as large as 0.67. Our findings provide a feasible explanation on why aneurysms cannot occur in healthy arteries but become possible following pathological changes. They can also be used to guide the design of tubular structures where localized bulging should be prevented.