Analysis of axisymmetric hollow cylinder under surface loading using variational principle

In this work, a variational principle-based approach has been adopted to analyze one of the classical linear elasticity problem of the axisymmetric cylinder under surface loading. The use of variational principle results in a set of governing partial differential equations with associated boundary conditions. The equations have been solved using the separation of variable approach and the Frobenius method. A general solution has been derived and used to solve two test cases. The proposed solution is capable of meeting all the boundary conditions. The solution has been validated by comparing it with a finite element-based numerical solution and considering a special limiting condition of a solid cylinder, for which results are available in the literature. Further various studies have been carried out to understand the robustness and limitation of the presented solution.