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5. Membrane theory for shells of general shapes
Membrane theory?
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of
the membrane (moment-less) stress state in thin shells:
(a) The boundaries of a shell are free from transverse shear
forces and moments. Loads applied to the shell boundaries
must lie in planes tangent to the middle surface of the shell.
(b) The normal displacements and rotations at the shell edges
are unconstrained: that is, these edges can displace freely in
the direction of the normal to the middle surface.
(c) A shell must have a smoothly varying and continuous surface.
(d) The components of the surface and edge loads must be also
smooth and continuous functions of the coordinates.
If these conditions are violated, fully or partially, flexural
stresses occur.
membrane theory of shells deals with shells under membrane
state of stress.
Membrane theory: Basic Equations
In the classical theory of elasticity, a common procedure is to
use Hooke's law in order to substitute the equilibrium
equations into the compatibility relations (or vice versa) so as
to obtain a single governing equation.
On the other hand, it is advantageous to obtain the governing
equations for thin-shell structures by a process of formal
reduction from the general equations of the elastic theory of
three-dimensional solids, i.e. reducing the general
fundamental equations of 3D elastic continuum for the
membrane state of stress.
i.e., with
and
We must emphasize that in membrane theory we are first
concerned with satisfaction only of the equilibrium equations,
and not with complete solutions of shell problems.
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Heinz Isler
Born July 26, 1926 in Zollikon, Switzerland
Attended Federal Technical Institute
Graduated in 1950 with a degree in Civil
Engineering
Only student out of 100+ to choose thin-
shells for senior design
Worked as an assistant to Pierre Lardy
Based most of his structures on smaller
models
Stated there were 3 ways to arrive at shell
shapes, (Freely shaped hills, Rubber Balloon
Membranes, and Reversed Hanging Cloths
Hanging membranes by Heinz Isler
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Thin-Shell Roof over gas station in Bern-Zurich
Highway
The equilibrium equations are concerned with external forces
and internal stress resultants, and involve the shell only
through the geometry of its (undistorted) surface.
To analyze the internal forces we cut from the shell an
infinitely small element formed by two pairs of adjacent
planes which are normal to the middle surface of the shell
and which contain its principal curvatures.
In this system, the number of unknowns is equal to the
number of equations, so the problem of the membrane
theory of shells is statically determinate (that is true for the
equilibrium of an infinitely small shell element but is not
always true for the equilibrium of the entire shell).
That is, if the external load components, p
x,
p
y,
and p
z
are
known, then the membrane forces & stresses for such a shell
are uniquely determined from the equilibrium equations.
For shells of arbitrary shapes, the character of solutions to the
equilibrium equations depends much on the geometric form
of these shells, and in particular on the sign of the 'Gaussian
curvature' of the surface.
Equilibrium in shells of arbitrary form generally is done by
means of generalized curvilinear coordinates.
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COURSE PARTICIPANTS ARE ADVISED TO READ
MORE ON THIS CHAPTER!!
SHELL DESIGN
SHELL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
A structural shell (metallic, concrete or composite) design
involves the following steps:
Choice of a shell geometry which meets the overall
architectural requirements.
A trial choice of the dimensions of the shell and its
supporting members, based on previous experience and/or
observation of similar shell structures
A preliminary design and analysis of the shell. For this
purpose we can use the membrane theory as well as other
simplified shell analysis schemes.
At this stage, we obtain the initial dimensions of the shell system
including the shell thickness, the pattern of shell reinforcements, and
the tentative values of required materials and reinforcements.
These results are useful for a more comprehensive analysis and also
for the initial material & cost estimates.
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The preliminary analysis and design of a shell also
provides an insight into the general behavior of that shell.
Therefore, having performed an initial design-analysis,
the designer would have a free hand in refining the
design without going into extensive calculations and/or
unwanted expenses.
A more comprehensive analysis and detailed design of the
shell using shell theory and/or available computer programs.
This stage is required for a final check of the design. A
logically based preliminary design usually remains valid,
except for some local modifications or perturbations.
Determination of the form, dimensions, and reinforcements
of some shells can also be obtained through experiments on
physical models of the shell. This is particularly so for
complicated shell geometries and/or cases in which there are
no reliable analytical tools.
A good design should always involve considerations related to
construction, shell manufacturing processes, and shell
aesthetics.
Design-construction precautions must be taken to assure the
integrity of the structure as a whole since shell structures are
usually accompanied by strengthening members such as
stiffeners, edge and/or ridge beams, and end diaphragms.
For thin shells, on the other hand, there exist situations in
which the loading will produce compressive internal stresses
in the shell. These stresses could make the shell elastically
unstable and thus cause buckling failure of the shell
structure.
The buckling strength of shells can be several order of
magnitudes lower than the material strength of the shell.
Furthermore, thin shells have been shown to be among the so
called imperfection-sensitive structures. This means that the
buckling load of the shell is highly dependent on
imperfections in the shell geometry and loading.
As a consequence, the true buckling load of an actual
shell could be several times smaller than the buckling
strength of a corresponding ideal perfect shell.
Premature failure of shells, due to buckling, makes the
stability design of shells important and dimensioning of shell
thickness is usually based on buckling considerations rather
than material strength criteria.
The last chapter of this course will cover the buckling
instability of shells.
The practical design of shell structures are generally based on
Codes of Practice. There are many codes and standards with
shell design recommendations. These codes help the designer
to carry-out practical design of shells and hence, can be used
as guidelines and official criteria in the design process.
Codes of practice offer general design guidelines specifying
limiting design parameters, such as the minimum
reinforcement, maximum stress and strain, and minimum
thickness, etc.
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CHAPTER
END!