Shell Theory

This account of the theory of plates and shells is written primarily as a textbook for graduate students in mechanical and civil engineering.The unified treatment of shells of arbitrary shape is accomplished by tensor analysis. This useful tool is introduced in the first chapter, and no knowledge of advanced mathematical methods is required. The general theory developed in the first eight chapters is applied in the remaining part to thin elastic plates and shells with special emphasis on engineering methods and engineering applications. A number of detailed examples illustrate the theory.

This volume focuses on the relevant general theory and presents some first applications, namely those based on classical shell theory. After a brief introduction, during which the history and state-of-the-art are discussed, the first chapter presents the mechanics of anisotropic heterogeneous shells, covering all relevant assumptions and the basic relations of 3D elasticity, classical and refined shell models. The second chapter examines the numerical techniques that are used, namely discrete orthogonalization, spline-collocation and Fourier series, while the third highlights applications based on classical theory, in particular, the stress-strain state of shallow shells, non-circular shells, shells of revolution, and free vibrations of conical shells. The book concludes with a summary and an outlook bridging the gap to the second volume.

This book deals with various aspects in relation with thin shell theory: general geometric formalism of shell theory, analysis of singularities, numerical computing of thin shell problems, mathematical considerations on boundary values problems.

Studies in Applied Mechanics, 4: Variational, Incremental, and Energy Methods in Solid Mechanics and Shell Theory covers the subject of variational, incremental, and energy methods in Solid Mechanics and Shell Theory from a general standpoint, employing general coordinates and tensor notations. The publication first ponders on mathematical preliminaries, kinematics and stress in three-dimensional solid continua, and the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Discussions focus on the principles of virtual displacements and virtual forces, kinematics of rigid body motions, incremental stresses, kinematics of incremental deformation, description of motion, coordinates, reference and deformed states, tensor formulas for surfaces, and differentials and derivatives of operators. The text then elaborates on constitutive material laws, deformation and stress in shells, first law of thermodynamics applied to shells, and constitutive relations and material laws for shells. Concerns cover hyperelastic incremental material relations, material laws for thin elastic shells, incremental theory and stability, reduced and local forms of the first law of thermodynamics, and description of deformation and motion in shells. The book examines elastic stability, finite element models, variational and incremental principles, variational principles of elasticity and shell theory, and constitutive relations and material laws for shells. The publication is a valuable reference for researchers interested in the variational, incremental, and energy methods in solid mechanics and shell theory.

Shells are basic structural elements of modern technology. Examples of shell structures include automobile bodies, domes, water and oil tanks, pipelines, ship hulls, aircraft fuselages, turbine blades, laudspeaker cones, but also balloons, parachutes, biological membranes, a human skin, a bottle of wine or a beer can. This volume contains full texts of over 100 papers presented by specialists from over 20 countries at the 8th Conference "Shell Structures: Theory and Applications", 12-14 October, 2005 in Jurata (Poland). The aim of the meeting was to bring together scientists, designers, engineers and other specialists in shell structures in order to discuss important results and new ideas in this field. The goal is to pursue more accurate theoretical models, to develop more powerful and versatile methods of analysis, and to disseminate expertise in design and maintenance of shell structures. Among the authors there are many distinguished specialists of shell structures, including the authors of general lectures: I.V. Andrianov (Ukraine), V.A. Eremeyev (Russia), A. Ibrahimbegovic (France), P. Klosowski (Poland), B.H. Kröplin (Germany), E. Ramm (Germany), J.M. Rotter (UK) and D. Steigmann (USA). The subject area of the papers covers various theoretical models and numerical analyses of strength, dynamics, stability, optimization etc. of different types of shell structures, their design and maintenance, as well as modelling of some surface-related mechanical phenomena.

Shells are basic structural elements of modern technology and everyday life. Examples of shell structures in technology include automobile bodies, water and oil tanks, pipelines, silos, wind turbine towers, and nanotubes. Nature is full of living shells such as leaves of trees, blooming flowers, seashells, cell membranes or wings of insects. In the human body arteries, the eye shell, the diaphragm, the skin and the pericardium are all shells as well. Shell Structures: Theory and Applications, Volume 4 contains 132 contributions presented at the 11th Conference on Shell Structures: Theory and Applications (Gdansk, Poland, 11-13 October 2017). The papers reflect a wide spectrum of scientific and engineering problems from theoretical modelling through strength, stability and dynamic behaviour, numerical analyses, biomechanic applications up to engineering design of shell structures. Shell Structures: Theory and Applications, Volume 4 will be of interest to academics, researchers, designers and engineers dealing with modelling and analyses of shell structures. It may also provide supplementary reading to graduate students in Civil, Mechanical, Naval and Aerospace Engineering.

This authoritative text concentrates on the derivation of simple but reasonably accurate mathematical solutions, and the actual presentation of closed-form results for quantities that are of interest to the designer of shell structures.