Structural consequences of small imperfections in elastic thin shells of revolution

Abstract The equations of a symmetrically loaded elastic thin shell of revolution are set up in such a way that the effects of small deviations of the meridian from a “perfect” form may be analyzed with ease. Solutions are found for several kinds of imperfection and the results plotted in a specially compact form. The structural effects depend strongly on the meridional length of the imperfection. Some shell junction problems can be analyzed in terms of imperfections. The method can be extended to find classical buckling loads for axially symmetric modes.