A Timoshenko-beam-on-Pasternak-foundation analogy for cylindrical shells

A Timoshenko-beam-on-Pasternak-foundation model is developed for the analysis of thin elastic cylindrical shells. This model aims to bridge the gap between the Love–Kirchhoff theory and the approximate beam-on-elastic-foundation model of Vlasov (“long-wave” model), which accounts for only longitudinal stretching and circumferential bending. The new model improves on the assumptions of the “long-wave” model by accounting for the effects of two additional actions, namely, in-plane shearing and twist. The model is used to derive “explicit” design formulae for (1) the fundamental natural frequencies for vibration of a uniform cylindrical shell having six sets of end restraints, and (2) the circumferential modenumbers associated with the fundamental mode. A comprehensive comparative study of the predictions of both models against available results in the literature and results obtained by the finite-element method has shown that the proposed model significantly extends the limits of the validity of the “long-wave” model.