Stresses Emanating From the Supports of a Cylindrical Shell Produced by a Lateral Pressure Pulse

Abstract

A semi-infinite, elastic, circular cylindrical shell is subjected to two uniform, radial pressure pulses, one a step pulse and the other a short-duration, rectangular pulse. Solutions for the stresses emanating from both a clamped support and a simple support are presented for a Timoshenko-type shell theory and a shell bending theory. Results from the Timoshenko-type theory are obtained using the method of characteristics, and results from the shell bending theory are obtained using integral transform techniques. Numerical results from both shell theories are presented for the bending stress and the shear stress resultant. Results show that the effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation are important only in the vicinity of the wave fronts. However, if the duration of the pressure pulse is short, maximum stresses can occur in the vicinity of the wave fronts where a Timoshenko-type shell theory is required for realistic response predictions.