Analysis of cylindrical shells under patch loading

The object of this study is to predict the peak values of the stress resultants and couples in a relatively thick cylindrical shell under a concentrated local loading in order to guide the design of a large-scale reinforced concrete test specimen. Four finite element programs, SHORE-III, two versions of RONALD, and ANSYS, were employed here. The SHORE-III and RONALD analyses considered a complete cantilevered cylinder, while the ANSYS model treated a cylindrical panel free along the curved edge and constrained in various ways along the longitudinal edge. Comprehensive comparative results are provided for the linear elastic loading case, which indicate the magnitude and attenuation of concentrated loading effects on cylindrical shells and panels.