LARGE DEFLECTION ELASTIC PLASTIC ANALYSIS OF CYLINDRICAL-SHELLS USING THE FINITE STRIP METHOD

The finite strip method is extended to the non-linear, static analysis of cylindrical shells. Large deflection effects are incorporated via first-order non-linearities in the strain-displacement relations, and material non-linearities are included via the von Mises yield criteria and associated flow rule. Numerical results are presented for various example problems including the diaphragm supported cylindrical shell-roof problem, an axisymmetric cylindrical shell loaded by radial pressure, the cylindrical shell-roof problem with clamped curved ends and a pressure loaded cylindrical panel clamped all round. The results are compared with known results from analytical and/or finite element analyses. The results indicate that a single bending mode in the strip direction is sufficient in most cases to yield engineering accuracy for preliminary design purposes.