Chapter 7 - Cylindrical Shells

Abstract

Cylindrical shells are a special case of the general case of shells of revolution. In shells of revolution, the surface of the shell is constructed by starting with a line, whether it is straight or curved, and revolving this line around a certain axis. The surface that the line “sweeps” as a result of this rotation defines the shell's middle surface. In most shells of revolutions treated in the literature, each point on the line maintains a constant distance from the axis of revolution. This will produce shells of revolutions with the circular cross-section. If each point generates a shape other than a circular one, like elliptical, the shell is referred to as the shape of the cross-section or simply as a shell of revolution with a non-circular cross-section. Cylindrical shells are formed by revolving a straight line around an axis parallel to the line itself. Thin cylindrical shells are like shallow shells and can have up to 16 boundary conditions at each edge. Twelve of these are classical boundary conditions simply supported and clamped. This leads to numerous combinations of boundary conditions, especially when the shells are open. Thick shells can have 24 possible classical boundary conditions at each edge. This yields a higher number of combinations of boundary conditions for such shells.