Impulsive Deformation of Mirsky-Herrmann’s Thick Cylindrical Shells by a Numerical Method

Abstract

The transient response of a thick elastic semi-infinite cylindrical shell subjected to impulsive step loads is obtained. This work presents solutions to two boundary-value problems. First, the shell is exposed to an axially step pulse velocity load while second, the pulse is applied radially to the shell. The influence of the transverse normal stress and the transverse normal strain on the deformation is being studied in great detail. The shell theory employed is based on the thick-shell equations derived by Mirsky and Herrmann, which comprise these transversal effects. These equations are solved by the characteristics method, while integration is carried out by the finite-difference technique. The results also present the influence of the thickness parameter (h/R) on the solution. Comparisons are made to solutions of other shell theories which neglect the transversal effects. Major conclusions show the existence of an important influence of the transverse normal strain on the deformation.