Analysis of elastic-plastic shells of revolution

A finite element approach using a displacement model is employed to analyze the behavior of elastic-plastic shells of revolution under axisymmetrical loading. The procedures developed are based on Kirchhoff hypotheses together with Love’s first approximation and small deflection theory. The method is quite general and is applicable to any shell geometry, loading, support conditions, and material properties, subject to the conditions of axial symmetry. The approach is suitable for routine computation on a digital computer. The examples shown are intended to show the reliability of the proposed approach, and not its versatility. The use of the proposed curved element proved to be very advantageous in requiring the use of relatively few elements to achieve good results. By applying the incremental technique together with the tangent stiffness method, it is possible to employ the flow theory of plasticity and to trace the loading history. The convergence of the method was found to be satisfactory.