Stresses in Short Noncircular Cylindrical Shells Under Lateral Pressure

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the deflections of and stresses in a short noncircular cylindrical shell of uniform wall thickness whose median-surface cross section is described analytically by a simple expression corresponding to a family of doubly symmetric ovals. The cylinder is under a uniform lateral load and is simply supported at its edges. The small deflection analysis considered is based upon a series solution of appropriate differential equations of shell theory which leads ultimately to infinite sets of algebraic equations, truncated forms of which are considered. Numerical values of the significant stresses and displacements for points of the oval cylinder, which are 5 percent of the axial length and 2.5 percent of the circumferential length a part, have been calculated for an oval cross section with a major-minor axis ratio of 1.10.