Boundary Conditions for Symmetry in Bourdon Tubes

Abstract

The four natural boundary conditions are derived for a newly observed symmetry in Bourdon tube action. The problem is described by an eighth-order system of pde’s for a Donnell-type shell theory. These, together with boundary conditions for the geometric symmetry and for the free end with rigid plug, comprise a well-posed mathematical problem. It requires only one-fourth the integration domain of the problem posed without symmetry, hence reduces storage requirements in computer calculations to one-sixteenth the number for the original problem.