Stability of a Long Cylindrical Shell With Partial Contact at the End Face

ABSTRACT We study the partial contact of a long circular cylindrical shell pressed eccentrically by its end face against a rigid half-space, using the theory of thin shells in bending. The elastic displacements are presented in the form of a Fourier expansion, the coefficients of which are found by the variational formulation combined with the penalty method to enforce contact conditions. Results are applied to buckling of a centrally and eccentrically compressed bar, and a bar with an initial inperfection. These solutions are compared with the corresponding results of the strength of materials.