A NOTE ON THE ACCURACY OF THE GECKELER APPROXIMATION

Abstract

A simple estimate of the accuracy of the widely‐used Geckeler approximation for the axisymmetric bending of non‐shallow spherical shells is presented. Based on the edge‐deformation coefficients associated with a pair of arbitrary edge loadings, this estimate is independent of the actual surface‐loading and edge conditions of a practical shell. In this respect, the note complements the findings of an earlier error study, which was based on specific surface loadings and boundary conditions. The complementary nature of the work lies in its use for providing (in the absence of more specialised results) a reasonable assessment of the accuracy of the Geckeler approximation for any loading and/or boundary conditions.