Vibrations of cylindrical shells with intermediate supports

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the free vibrations of circular cylindrical shells with rigid intermediate supports. The simplest form of thin shell theory according to Donnell and the reputed best first order approximation theory of Sanders are considered. An automated Rayleigh-Ritz method is adopted to evaluate the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the structures. A proposed unified set of Ritz functions is used to span the displacement fields of various types and combinations of end boundary conditions. Comparison and convergence studies are carried out to verify and establish the appropriate number of Ritz functions to produce results with an acceptable order of accuracy. Shells with any number of intermediate supports and any combination of end boundary conditions can be analyzed by the proposed method. Effects of intermediate supports and their locations on natural frequencies of the shells are studied and the results presented for easy access by design engineers. © 1995 Academic Press. All rights reserved.