Nonlinear vibrations of clamped-free circular cylindrical shells

Only experimental studies are available on large-amplitude vibrations of clamped-free shells. In the present study, large-amplitude nonlinear vibrations of clamped-free circular cylindrical shell are numerically investigated for the first time. Shells with perfect and imperfect shape are studied. The Sanders-Koiter nonlinear shell theory is used to calculate the elastic strain energy. Shell displacement fields (longitudinal, circumferential and radial) are expanded by means of a double mixed series, i.e. harmonic functions for the circumferential variable and Chebyshev polynomials for the longitudinal variable. All boundary conditions are satisfied. The system is discretized by using natural modes of the shell and Lagrange equations by an energy approach, retaining damping through Rayleigh's dissipation function. Different expansions involving from 18 to 52 generalized coordinates are used to study the convergence of the solution. The nonlinear equations of motion are numerically studied by using arclength continuation method and bifurcation analysis. Numerical responses to harmonic radial excitation in the spectral neighborhood of the lowest natural frequency are compared with experimental results available in literature. The effect of geometric imperfections and excitation amplitude are numerically investigated and fully explained. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.