The Role of Modal Coupling on the Non-Linear Response of Cylindrical Shells Subjected to Dynamic Axial Loads

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses the dynamic instability of circular cylindrical shells subjected to time-dependent axial edge loads of the form P(t) = P0+P1(t), where the dynamic component p1(t) is periodic in time and P0 is a uniform compressive load. In the present paper a low dimensional model, which retains the essential non-linear terms, is used to study the non-linear oscillations and instabilities of the shell. For this, Donnell’s shallow shell equations are used together with the Galerkin method to derive a set of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations of motion which are, in turn, solved by the Runge-Kutta method. To study the non-linear behavior of the shell, several numerical strategies were used to obtain Poincaré maps, stable and unstable fixed points, bifurcation diagrams and basins of attraction. Particular attention is paid to two dynamic instability phenomena that may arise under these loading conditions: parametric instability and escape from the pre-buckling potential well. The numerical results obtained from this investigation clarify the conditions, which control whether or not instability may occur. This may help in establishing proper design criteria for these shells under dynamic loads, a topic practically unexplored in literature.