Chapter 9

Vibrations of Cylindrical Shells

Tiejun Yang, Wen L. Li and Lu Dai
Additional information is available at the end of the chapter
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1. Introduction
Beams, plates and shells are the most commonly-used structural components in industrial
applications. In comparison with beams and plates, shells usually exhibit more complicated
dynamic behaviours because the curvature will effectively couple the flexural and in-plane
deformations together as manifested in the fact that all three displacement components si
multaneously appear in each of the governing differential equations and boundary condi
tions. Thus it is understandable that the axial constraints can have direct effects on a
predominantly radial mode. For instance, it has been shown that the natural frequencies for
the circumferential modes of a simply supported shell can be noticeably modified by the
constraints applied in the axial direction [1]. Vibrations of shells have been extensively stud
ied for several decades, resulting in numerous shell theories or formulations to account for
the various effects associated with deformations or stress components.
Expressions for the natural frequencies and modes shapes can be derived for the classical
homogeneous boundary conditions [2-9]. Wave propagation approach was employed by
several researchers [10-13] to predict the natural frequencies for finite circular cylindrical
shells with different boundary conditions. Because of the complexity and tediousness of the
(exact) solution procedures, approximate procedures such as the Rayleigh-Ritz methods or
equivalent energy methods have been widely used for solving shell problems [14-18]. In the
Rayleigh-Ritz methods, the characteristic functions for a similar beam problem are typi
cally used to represent all three displacement components, leading to a characteristic equa
tion in the form of cubic polynomials. Assuming that the circumferential wave length is
smaller than the axial wave length, Yu [6] derived a simple formula for calculating the natu
ral frequencies directly from the shell parameters and the frequency parameters for the anal
ogous beam case. Soedel [19] improved and generalized Yus result by eliminating the short
circumferential wave length restriction. However, since the wavenumbers for axial modal
function are obtained from beam functions which do not exactly satisfy shell boundary con

2012 Yang et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
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ditions, it is mathematically difficult to access or ensure the accuracy and convergence of

such a solution.
The free vibration of shells with elastic supports was studied by Loveday and Rogers [20]
using a general analysis procedure originally presented by Warburton [3]. The effect of flexi
bility in boundary conditions on the natural frequencies of two (lower order) circumferential
modes was investigated for a range of restraining stiffness values. The vibrations of circular
cylindrical shells with non-uniform boundary constraints were studied by Amabili and Gar
ziera [21] using the artificial spring method in which the modes for the corresponding lessrestrained problem were used to expand the displacement solutions. The non-uniform
spring stiffness distributions were systematically represented by cosine series and their
presence was accounted for in terms of maximum potential energies stored in the springs.
A large number of studies are available in the literature for the vibrations of shells under
different boundary conditions or with various complicating features. A comprehensive re
view of early investigations can be found in Leissas book [22]. Some recent progresses have
been reviewed by Qatu [23]. Regardless of whether an approximate or an exact solution pro
cedure is employed, the corresponding formulations and implementations usually have to
be modified or customized for different boundary conditions. This shall not be considered a
trivial task in view that there exist 136 different combinations even considering the simplest
(homogeneous) boundary conditions. Thus, it is useful to develop a solution method that
can be generally applied to a wide range of boundary conditions with no need of modifying
solution algorithms and procedures. Mathematically, elastic supports represent a general
form of boundary conditions from which all the classical boundary conditions can be readily
derived by simply setting each of the spring stiffnesses to either zero or infinity. This chap
ter will be devoted to developing a general analytical method for solving shell problems in
volving general elastically restrained ends.

2. Basic equations and solution procedures

Figure 1 shows an elastically restrained circular cylindrical shell of radius R, thickness h and
length L. Each of the eight sets of elastic restraints shall be understood as a distributed
spring along the circumference. Let u, v, and w denote the displacements in the axial x, cir
cumferential and radial r directions, respectively. The equations of the motions for the
shell can be written as
N1 N12
2u
(a)
+
= rh 2
Rq
x
t
2
N12 N 2
v
(b)
+
= rh 2
Rq
x
t
2
Q1 Q1 N 2
w
+
= r h 2 (c)
R
x Rq
t

(1)

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where is the mass density of the shell material, and N1, N12, N, Q1 and Q denote the resul
tant forces acting on the mid-surface.

k8

k4

k5

k1

k2

k3

R
x

k6

k7

l
Figure 1. A circular cylindrical shell elastically restrained along all edges.

In terms of the shell displacements, the force and moment components can be expressed as
u
w
v
N1 = K + s
+s
Rq
R
x
v
w
u
N2 = K
+ +s

x
Rq R
N12 = K

(b)

(1 - s ) u v
+

2 Rq x

w
w
M1 = - D 2 + s 2 2
x
R
q

2w
2w
M2 = - D 2 2 + s 2
R q
x

2
w
M12 = - D(1 - s )
Rxq
3w
M1 M12
3w
Q1 =
+
= -D 3 + 2

x
Rq
x
R
xq 2

3w
M 2 M12
3w
Q2 =
+
= -D 3 3 +
R q
Rq
x
R
x 2q

where

(a)

(c)

(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)

(h)

(2)

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K = Eh / (1 - s 2 ),
3

(a)
2

D = Eh / 12(1 - s )

(b)

k = D / K = h 2 / 12

(c)

(3)

E and are respectively the Youngs modulus and Poisson ratio of the material; M1, M2 and
M12 are the bending and twisting moments.
The boundary conditions for an elastically restrained shell can specified as:
at x=0,

N x - k1u = 0

N xq - k2 v = 0

M xq
Qx +
- k3 w = 0
Rq
w
M x + k4
=0
x

(a)
(b)
(c)

(4)

(d)

at x=L,

N x + k 5u = 0

N xq + k6 v = 0

M xq
Qx +
+ k7 w = 0
Rq
w
M x - k8
=0
x

(a)
(b)
(c)

(5)

(d)

where k1, k2, , k8 are the stiffnesses for the restraining springs. The elastic supports repre
sent a set of general boundary conditions, and all the classical boundary conditions can be
considered as the special cases when the stiffness for each spring is equal to either zero or
infinity.
The above equations are usually referred to as Donnell-Mushtari equations. Flgges theory
is also widely used to describe vibrations of shells. In terms of the shell displacements, the
corresponding force and moment components are written as

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w D 2w
+ Ks R R x 2

2w
1 - s u v D (1 - s ) v
+ +
N12 =
K

qx
2
2
R
x
R
R
x
R

v
w
u D 2 w
w
+ +s
N2 = K
+ 2 2 + 2
q
R
R
x
R

R q
1 - s u v D (1 - s ) u
2w
N 21 =
K
+ +

2 +
q
2
R
x
R
2
R

qx

R q
2w
2w
u
v
M1 = - D 2 + s 2 2 -s 2
x
R
x

R q
R q

2
w
v
M12 = - D(1 - s )
Rqx Rx

w
2w
2w
M2 = - D 2 + 2 2 + s 2
R
R q
x

2
w
1 u
1 v
M 21 = - D(1 - s )
+
Rqx 2 R2q 2 Rx

3w 1 3w
2u 1 - s 2u 1 + s v
Q1 = - D 3 + 2
+

R q 2x Rx 2 2 R3 q 2 2 R2 xq
x
u
v
N1 = K + s
Rq
x

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

(6)

(f)
(g)
(h)

(i)

A shell problem can be solved either exactly or approximately. An exact solution usually im
plies that both the governing equations and the boundary conditions are simultaneously sat
isfied exactly on a point-wise basis. Otherwise, a solution is considered approximate in
which one or more of the governing equations and boundary conditions are enforced only
in an approximate sense. Both solution strategies will be used below.
2.1. An approximate solution based on the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure
Approximate methods based on energy methods or the Rayleigh-Ritz procedures are widely
used for the vibration analysis of shells with various boundary conditions and/or complicat
ing factors. In such an approach, the displacement functions are usually expressed as
u( x ,q ) =
v( x ,q ) =
w( x ,q ) =

amjum ( x) cos nq

(a)

bmjvm ( x) sin nq

(b)

cmjwm ( x) cos nq

(c)

m=0

m=0

(7)

m=0

where m(x), = u, v, and w, are the characteristic functions for beams with similar boun
dary conditions. Although characteristic functions generally exist in the forms of trigono
metric and hyperbolic functions, they also include some integration and frequency constants
that have to be determined from boundary conditions. Consequently, each boundary condi

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tion basically calls for a special set of modal data. In the literature the modal parameters are
well established for the simplest homogeneous boundary conditions. However, the determi
nation of modal properties for the more complicated elastic boundary supports can become,
at least, a tedious task since they have to be re-calculated each time when any of the stiffness
values is changed. It should also be noted that calculating the modal properties will typical
ly involve seeking the roots of a nonlinear transcendental equation, which mathematically
requires an iterative root searching scheme and careful numerical implementations to en
sure no missing data. To overcome this problem, a unified representation of the shell solu
tions will be adopted here in which the displacements, regardless of boundary conditions,
will be invariably expressed as

( a cos x + p (x)) cosn, ( = mL )(a)

v(x, ) = ( b cos x + p (x)) sinn , (b)
w(x, ) = ( c cos x + p (x)) cosn(c)
u(x, ) =

m=0

m=0

m=0

(8)
where p (x), = u, v, and w, denote three auxiliary polynomials which satisfy
pu ( x)
u( x ,0)
=
= b1 ,
x x = 0
x x = 0

(a)

pu ( x)
u( x ,0)
=
= b2
x x = L
x x = L

(b)

pv ( x)
v( x ,p / 2)
=
= b3 ,
x x = 0
x
x =0

(c)

pv ( x)
v( x ,p / 2)
=
= b4 ,
x x = L
x
x= L

(d)

pw ( x)
w( x ,0)
=
= b5 ,
x x = 0
x x = 0

(e)

pw ( x)
w( x ,0)
=
= b6 ,
x x = L
x x = L

(f)

3 pw ( x )
x

=
x =0

3 pw ( x )
x

=
x= L

3 w( x ,0)
x 3

(g)

= b8

(h)

x =0

3 w( x ,0)
x 3

= b7 ,

(9)

x= L

It is clear from Eqs. (9) that these auxiliary polynomials are only dependent on the first and
third derivatives i, (i=1,2,,8) of the displacement solutions on the boundaries. In terms of
boundary derivatives, the lowest-order polynomials can be explicitly expressed as [24, 25]

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pu ( x) = z 1 ( x)b1 + z 2 ( x)b 2

(a)

pv ( x ) = z 1 ( x ) b 3 + z 2 ( x ) b 4

(10)

(b)

pw ( x) = z 1 ( x)b 5 + z 2 ( x)b 6 + z 3 ( x)b7 + z 4 ( x)b 8 (c)

where
(6 Lx - 2 L2 - 3 x 2 ) / 6 L
z 1 ( x)

(3 x 2 - L2 ) / 6 L
z ( x)
z( x)T = 2
=
4
3
2 2
4
x
z
(
)
3 - (15 x - 60 Lx + 60 L x - 8 L ) / 360 L
z ( x)
4
2 2
4
4

(15 x - 30 L x + 7 L ) / 360 L

(11)

This alternative form of Fourier series recognizes the fact that the conventional Fourier ser
ies for a sufficiently smooth function f(x) defined on a compact interval [0, L] generally fails
to converge at the end points. Introducing the auxiliary functions will ensure the cosine ser
ies in Eqs. (8) to converge uniformly and polynomially over the interval, including the end
points. As a matter of fact, the polynomial subtraction techniques have been employed by
mathematicians as a means to accelerate the convergence of the Fourier series expansion for
an explicitly defined function [26-28].
The coefficients i represent the values of the first and third derivatives of the displacements
at the boundaries, and are hence related to the unknown Fourier coefficients for the trigono
metric terms. The relationships between the constants and the expansion coefficients can be
derived either exactly or approximately.
In seeking an approximate solution based on an energy method, the solution is not required
to explicitly satisfy the force or natural boundary conditions. Accordingly, the derivative pa
rameters i in Eqs. (10) will be here determined from a simplified set of the boundary condi
tions, that is,
u
m k1,5u = 0
x
(1 - m ) v
m k2,6 v = 0
2 x
3
w
k 3 k3,7 w = 0
x
2 w w
=0
k 2 m k4,8
x
x

(a)
(b)
(c)

(12)

(d)

where
ki = ki / K.

By substituting Eqs. (8) and (10) into (12), one will obtain

(13)

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b1 -1 m
= H u Q u am
b 2 m = 0
b 3 -1 m
= H v Q v bm
b 4 m = 0

{ b5

b6

b7

b8

(a)

(14)

(b)
=

H -w1Qwmcm

(c)

m=0

where

k L
k1L
1 +1

3
6

Hu =
k L
k L
5
5
+ 1
3
6

Qum = k1 ( -1)m +1 k5
k L 1 - m
2 +
2
Hv = 3

k6 L

k3 L
6
k7 L
3

(c)

(15)

k
L
k
k8 +
L
-

(b)

k2 L

k L 1 - m
6

+
3
2

m +1

k6
Qm
v = k2 ( -1)

k L
- 3
3
k L
- 7
Hw = 6
k
k4 +
L

k
L

(a)

(d)
k3 L3
+k
45

7 k7 L3
360
kL
3
kL
6

7 k3 L3

360
k L3

7
+k
45

kL

kL

(e)

and

Qm
w = - k3 ( -1) k7

-klm2 ( -1)m klm2

(16)

In light of Eqs. (13), Eqs (8) can be reduced to Eqs. (7) with the axial functions being defined
as

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(17)

jam ( x) = cos lm x + z( x)T Qam , (a = u, v , w)

where
%m
Qm
w = Qw

(a)

% m
Q
a
m
Qa = 0
0

m
% = ( H )-1 Q m
Q
a
a
a

(18)

(b)
(c)

Since the boundary conditions are not exactly satisfied by the displacements such construct
ed, the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure will be employed to find a weak form of solution. The cur
rent solution is noticeably different from the conventional Rayleigh-Ritz solutions in that: a)
the shell displacements are expressed in terms of three independent sets of axial functions,
rather than a single (set of) beam function(s), b) the basis functions in each displacement ex
pansion constitutes a complete set so that the convergence of the Rayleigh-Ritz solution is
guaranteed mathematically, and c) it does not suffer from the well-known numerical insta
bility problem related to the higher order beam functions or polynomials. More importantly,
the current method is that it provides a unified solution to a wide variety of boundary con
ditions.
The potential energy consistent with the Donnell-Mushtari theory can be expressed from

V=

L 2p

K
2 0

x + Rq + R

- 2(1 - n )

w (1 - n ) v
u v
u
+ +

+
+
x Rq R
2 x Rq

2
2

2
2
2 w
w

2w
w 2w
k 2 + 2 2 - 2(1 - n ) 2 2 2 -
Rdxdq

R q
x R q
Rxq

+1 2
+1 2

2p

+ k2 v 2 + k3 w 2 + k4 ( w x ) ]x = 0 Rdq

+ k6 v + k7 w + k8 ( w x ) ]x = L Rdq

[k1 u

0
2p

[ k5 u
0

(a)

(19)

and the total kinetic energy is calculated from

T=

L 2p

1
2 0

r h ( u t ) + ( v t ) + ( w t )
0

Rdxdq

(b)

By minimizing the Lagrangian L=V-T against all the unknown expansion coefficients, a final
system of linear algebraic equations can be derived

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Lss
sq T
L
sr T
L

Lsq
qq

Lq r T

M ss
Lsr a

qr
2
L b - w 0

0
Lrr c

0
Mqq
0

0 a

0 b = 0

M rr c

(20)

where

{
b ={ b
c ={ c

},
,...} ,
,...} ,

a = a00 , a01 ,..., amn ,..

01 , b02 ,..., bmn

00 , c01 ,..., cmn

L sr
mn , m ' n '
Lqq
mn , m ' n '
r
Lqmn
,m ' n '

Lqq
mn , m ' n '

(a)

(21)

(b)
(c)

(1 - m )n2

2 m
2
mm '
Iuu
k j (0)jum ' (0) + k5jum ( L)jum ' ( L)]
,00 +
L 1 u
L
2 R2
m n mm ' (1 - m )n mm '
= d nn ' [ Iuv
Iuv ,01 ]
,10 2R
R

mm '
L ss
mn , m ' n ' = d nn ' [ I uu ,11 +

q
L smn
,m ' n '

m mm '
= d nn ' Iuw
,10
R
2
2
n mm ' (1 - m ) mm ' 2 m
= d nn ' [ 2 I vv
I vv ,11 + k2jv (0)jvm ' (0) + k6jvm ( L)jvm ' ( L)] (d)
,00 +
2
L
L
R
n mm '
= d nn ' 2 I vw
,00
R
n4 mm '
n2 mm '
1 mm '
mm '
= d nn ' { 2 I ww
,00 + k [ I ww ,22 + 4 I ww ,00 + 2(1 - m ) 2 I ww ,11
R
R
R
m n2 mm '
2 m
2 m
mm '
m'
k
k j ( L)jwm ' ( L) +
- 2 ( I ww
+
)]
+
j
(0)
j
(0)
+
I
w
ww ,20
,02
L 3 w
L 7 w
R
m
m'
m
m'
2 j (0) jw (0) 2 jw ( L) jw ( L)
}
+ k4 w
+ k8
L
L
x
x
x
x

mm '
M ss
mn , m ' n ' = d nn ' r hI uu ,00

(a)

mm '
Mqq
mn , m ' n ' = d nn ' r hI vv ,00

(b)

mm '
M rr
mn , m ' n ' = d nn ' r hI ww ,00

(c)

(a)
(b)
(c)

(e)

(22)

(f)

(23)

and

mm '
Iab
, pq = 2 L

q m'
fa fb

p m

x p

xq

dx (a ,b = u, v , w)

The integrals in Eq. (23) can be calculated analytically; for instance

mm'
I ,00
=

2
L

m m'

dx

(24)

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2
'
(cos lm x + z( x)T Qam )(cos lm ' x + z( x)T Q m
b ) dx
L 0

2
mT
T m'
'
(cos lm x cos lm ' x + cos lm ' xz( x)T Qam + cos lm xz( x)T Q m
b + Qa z ( x)z ( x) Q b ) dx
L 0

(25)

mm '
= e md mm ' + Sam ' m + Sbmm ' + Zab

where
e m = (1 + d m0 )

(a)

Sam ' m = Pcm 'Qam

(b)

(26)

mm '
'
Zab
= QamT XQ m
(c)
b

and
Pcm =

0 0 0 0 ,
}
{
2
=
m
1
L -1 ( -1)

lm 2
lm 2 lm 4

2
z ( x)T cos lm x dx
L 0 w

(27)

for m = 0
( -1)

T
m +1

,
lm 4

2 L2

45
7 L2

L
180
T
X = 2 L z( x) z( x)dx =
0
4 L4
945

4
- 31L
7560

2 L2
45
31L4
7560
4 L4
945

(a)

for m 0

sym.

6
2L

4725
6
6
127 L
2L
302400
4725

(28)
(b)

2.2. A strong form of solution based on Flgges equations

As aforementioned, the displacement expressions in terms of beam functions cannot exactly
satisfy the shell boundary conditions; instead they are made to satisfy the boundary condi
tions in a weak sense via the use of the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure. To overcome this problem,
the displacement expressions, Eqs. (8), will now be generalized to

u( x ,q ) = Amn cos lm x +pnu ( x) cos nq

n=0 m=0

v
v( x ,q ) = Bmn cos lm x +pn ( x) sin nq

n=0 m=0

w
w( x ,q ) = Cmn cos lm x +pn ( x) cos nq

n=0 m=0

(a)
(b)
(c)

(29)

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which represent a 2-D version of the improved Fourier series expansions, Eqs. (8).
To demonstrate the flexibility in choosing the auxiliary functions pnu (x), pnv (x)and pnw (x), an
alternative set is used below:

pnu ( x) = Luna( x)

(a)

pnv ( x) = Lvna( x)
pnw ( x) = Lwnb( x)

(b)

(30)

(c)

herenu = an bn , nv = cn dn , nw = en f n gn h n with an, bn,..., gn and hn being the unknown coef

ficients to be determined; (x) = {1(x) 2(x)}Tand (x) = {1(x) 2(x) 3(x) 4(x)}T and with
their elements being defined as

x
a 1 ( x) = x( - 1)2 (a)
l
2
x x
a 2 ( x) = ( - 1) (b)
l l

(31)

and

l
px
9l
3p x
sin( ) sin(
)
4p
2l
12p
2l
l
px
9l
3p x
b 2 ( x) = - cos( ) cos(
)
4p
2l
12p
2l
3
3
l
l
px
3p x
b 3 ( x) = 3 sin( ) - 3 sin(
)
2l
2l
p
3p

b1 ( x) =

b 4 ( x) = -

l3

cos(

px
l3
3p x
) - 3 cos(
)
2l
2l
3p

(a)
(b)
(c)

(32)

(d)

In Eqs. (27), the sums of x-related terms are here understood as the series expansions in xdirection, rather than characteristic functions for a beam with similar boundary condition.
This distinction is important in that the boundary conditions and governing differential
equations can now be exactly satisfied on a point-wise basis; that is, the solution can be
found in strong form, as described below.
Substituting Eqs. (6) and (27) into (4) and (5) will lead to

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4s l 3 lg R
7s l 3p Rg
+
an -
hn
fn - 3 +
4l
3p R
3p R p

(a)

k1
s

sn
Amn Bmn - + lm 2g R Cmn

K m=0
R m=0

m=0 R

k
1-s
(1 - s )g n
(1 - s )n
(1 + g ) cn + 2 en = 2 R Amn + K2 Bmn
2
m=0
m=0

(b)

4l 3 k
7 lk3
4
2
(3 - s )n
(2 - s )n2
a - b +
cn +
en +
f - gn + 3 3 hn
3p D n
lR n lR n
3p D
2 R2
R2
l 2
k
(1 - s )n2
Amn + 3 Cmn
= m
D m=0
2 R3
m=0 R

(c)

3p 7n l n 2
l 4n l 3n2
k
1
an +
+
fn + + 3 2 hn - 4 en
2

R
D
4l 3p R
p 3p R

(d)

sn
s n2
B + lm 2 + 2 Cmn
2 mn

R m=0
R
m=0

(33)

lg R 4s l 3
3pg R 7s l
-bn -
+
+ 3 gn
en -
3p R
3p R
4l
p
=

k5
ns
cos( mp ) Amn + R
K m=0

(e)

cos( mp )Bmn + R + lm2g R cos( mp )Cmn

m=0

m=0

k
1-s
(1 - s )ng
(1 - s )n
1 + g ) dn cos( mp ) Amn + 6 cos( mp )Bmn
fn = (

2
2
2 R m=0
K m=0

7 lk7
4l 3 k
2
4
(3 - s )n
(2 - s )n2
a - b dn e fn - 3 7 gn + hn
3p D n
lR n lR n
2 R2
R2
3p D
cos( mp )l 2
k
(1 - s )cos( mp )n2
m
Amn + 7 cos( mp )Cmn
= -
3

R
D m=0
2R
m=0

(f)

3p 7s l n 2
l 4s l 3 n 2
k
1
+
b +
e - 8 f + +
g
R n 4l 3p R2 n D n p 3p 3 R2 n
=-

sn
s n2
cos( mp )Bmn - lm 2 + 2 cos( mp )Cmn
2

R m=0
R
m=0

(g)

(h)

Equations (31) represent a set of constraint conditions between the unknown (boundary)
constants, an, bn,..., gn and hn, and the Fourier expansion coefficients Amn, Bmn, and Cmn ( m, n =
0, 1, 2,... ). The constraint equations (31a-h) can be rewritten more concisely, in matrix form,
as
Ly = Sx

(34)

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The elements of the coefficient matrices can be readily derived from Eqs. (31); for example,
Eq. (31a) implies

{L31}n,n = d nn
3pg R
d
4l nn

4s l 3 lg R
d
= - 3 +
3p R p nn

= {L33}n ,n = {L34 }n ,n = {L35}n ,n = {L37 }n ,n = 0

(a)

7s l

{L36}n,n = - 3p R +

(b)

{L38}n,n

(c)

{L32}n,n
{S11}mn,n = k1d nn / K
{S12}mn,n = -s nd nn / R
{S13}mn,n

(35)

(d)
(e)
(f)

s m2p 2g R
= -d nn +

R
l2

(g)

Other sub-matrices can be similarly obtained from the remaining equations in Eqs. (31).
In actual numerical calculations, all the series expansions will have to be truncated to m=M
and n=N. Thus there is a total number of (M+1)(3N+2)+8N+6 unknown expansion coeffi
cients in the displacement functions. Since Eq. (33) represents a set of 8N+6 equations, addi
tional (M+1)(3N+2) equations are needed to be able to solve for all the unknown coefficients.
Accordingly, we will turn to the governing differential equations.
In Flgges theory, the equations of motion are given as

N1 N 21
2u
+
= rh 2
Rq
x
t
N12 N 2 M 2 M12
2v
+
+
+
= rh 2
Rq R2q
Rx
x
t
2 M1 2 M12 2 M 21 2 M 2 N 2
2w
+
+
+ 2 2= rh 2
2
Rxq Rxq R q
R
x
t

Substituting Eqs. (6) and (37) into Eqs. (34) results in

(a)
(b)
(c)

(36)

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(1 - s )(1 + g )n2
(1 - s )(1 + g )n2
cos lm xAmn + Lun a( x)

2 R2
2 R2
=
n
0

(1 + s )
v

l
n
sin
l
x
B
n
(
x
)
+
+
L
a

n
m
mn
2 R m = 0 n = 0 m
n=0

s
(1 - s )g n2
C
sin
l
l
x
- lm + g Rlm 3
m
m
mn

2R
m=0 n=0 R

(1 - s )g n2
+ Lwn T b( x) - g Rb( x) b( x)
R

2
R
n=0

w2rh
u
+
cos lm xAmn + L na( x) = 0
K m = 0 n = 0
n=0

(1 + s )
u

l
l
sin
n
A
n
+
x
L
a

n ( x)
m
mn
2 R m = 0 n = 0 m
n=0

2
(1 - s )(1 + 3g ) 2
n
lm cos lm xBmn
- 2 +

2
m=0 n=0 R

n2

(1 - s )(1 + 3g )
- LvnT 2 a( x) a( x)
R

2
n=0

n (3 - s )g n 2
lm cos lm xCmn
- 2 +
2

m=0 n=0 R

-lm2 -

m=0 n=0

(a)

(b)

(3 - s )g n
- Lwn T 2 b( x) b( x)
2
R

n=0

w2rh
v
+
cos lm xBmn + L na( x) = 0
K m = 0 n = 0
n=0

s (1 - s )g n2
- + g Rlm 2 lm sin lm xAmn

2R
m=0 n=0 R

(1 - s )g n2
uT s

+ L n a ( x) a ( x) - g Ra( x)
R

2
R
n=0

n (3 - s )g n 2
lm cos lm xBmn
+ 2 +
2

m=0 n=0 R

(3 - s )g n
+ LunT 2 a( x) a( x)
2
R

n=0

1 + g (n2 + 1)2
2
4
+
+ R glm + 2g n2lm 2 cos lm xCmn
2

R
m=0 n=0

2
2

w T 1 + g ( n + 1)
2
+ Ln
b( x) - 2g n b( x) + g R2b( x)
2

R
n=0

w rh
w
cos lm xCmn + L nb( x) = 0
K m = 0 n = 0
n=0

(c)

(37)

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By expanding all non-cosine terms into Fourier cosine series and comparing the like terms,
the following matrix equation can be obtained

Ex + Fy -

r hw 2
(Px + Qy ) = 0.
K

(38)

where E, F, P and Q are coefficient matrices whose elements are given as:

(1 - s )(1 + g )n2
d mmd nn
2 R2

(1 + s )mnp m
{E12}mn,mn = - 2lR c m d mmd nn
s mp

(1 - s )mn2p
{E13}mn,mn = - lR + g Rlm3 - 2lR c mmd mmd nn

(1 + s )mnp m
{E21}mn,mn = 2lR c m d mmd nn
n2 (1 - n )(1 + 3g )l 2
m
d mmd nn
{E22}mn,mn = - 2 +

2
R

n (3 - n )g nl 2
m
d mmd nn
{E23}mn,mn = - 2 +

2
R

nl

(1 - s )lmn2

m
{E31}mn,mn = - R + g 2 R - Rlm3 c mmd mmd nn

n (3 - s )l 2ng
m
d mmd nn
{E32}mn,mn = 2 +

2
R

2
n
1
-1
{E33}mn,mn = 2 + g Rlm + R + 2lm d mmd nn

{E11}mn,mn = - lm2 +

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)

(i)

(39)

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(1 - s )(1 + g )n
f1m d nn
2

2R

(1 - s )(1 + g )n
= y 2 m f1m d nn
2

2R

{F11- a }mn ,n = y 1m -

(a)

{F11- b }mn ,n

(b)

{F12 - c }mn ,n =
{F12 - d }mn ,n =

(1 + s )n
2R
(1 + s )n
2R

j1md nn

(c)

j 2 md nn

(d)

9s

s
9 Rp 2 (1 - s )n2
9 Rp 2 9(1 - s )n2
{F13- e }mn ,n = + g 2 k 2 m - 8 R + g 32l 2 - 16 R k 4 m d nn
16 R

32l

8R

9s

s
9 Rp 2 9(1 - s )n2
9 Rp 2 (1 - s )n2
=
+g
F13 - f
32l 2 - 16 R k 1m + 8 R + g 32l 2 - 16 R k 3 m d nn
8R
mn , n

s l2

s l2
R (1 - s )l 2 n2
9 R (1 - s )l 2 n2
=
+g F13 - g
k 2 m - 2 + g
k 4 m d nn
2
2
8
2p 2 R
mn , n
4p R
4p R

8
2p R

s l2

s l2
R (1 - s )l 2 n2
9 R (1 - s )l 2 n2
k
g
k
d
+
+

{F13- h }mn ,n = 2 + g

1m
3 m nn
2
2
8
2p 2 R
4p R
4p R
8

2p R

(e)

(f)

(g)

{F21- a }mn ,n = {F21- b }mn ,n = -

(1 + s )n
2R
(1 + s )n
2R

(h)

j1md nn

(i)

j 2 md nn

(j)

n2

(1 - s )(1 + 3g )
y 1m d nn
{F22 - c }mn ,n = - 2 f1m
2
R

2
n

(1 - s )(1 + 3g )
y 2 m d nn
{F22 - d }mn ,n = - 2 f2 m
2
R

3p (3 - s )ng
9nl 9p (3 - s )ng

nl
+
k 1m -
{F23- e }mn ,n = - 2 +

k 3 m d nn
32l
32l

12p R 2

4p R

3p (3 - s )ng
9nl 9p (3 - s )ng

nl
=
+
+
+
k
k
F23 - f
2m
4 m d nn
mn , n
32l
32l

12p R 2

4p R 2

3
3
nl

nl
(3 - s )nl
3(3 - s )nlg
= -
+
+
k
F23 - g
k
d

1m 3p 3 R 2
3 m nn
p 3 R2
mn , n
8p
8p

nl 3

nl 3
(3 - s )nl
3(3 - s )nlg
=
+
k
+
+
k
d
F
{ 23- h }mn ,n 3 2
2 m 3p 3 R 2
4 m nn
8p
8p

p R

s (1 - s )g n2

6 Rg
{F31- a }mn ,n = j1m - l 2 d m 0 d nn
2R

2
s (1 - s )g n

6 Rg
(r)
{F31- b }mn ,n = j 2 m - 2 d m 0 d nn
2R
l

n
(3 - s )ng

y 1m d nn
{F32 - c }mn ,n = 2 f1m 2
R

n
(3 - s )ng

y 2 m d nn
{F32 - d }mn ,n = 2 f21m 2
R

9 Rp 2 n2 - 1 2 9p 2
Rp 2 n2 - 1 2 p 2
l
9l 1
1

{F33- e }mn ,n = 2 + g 2 +
+ 2 k 3 m d nn
+ 2 k 1m - 2 + g 2 +

8l
R
4p R
3p 4 R
2 R
4l
2l
8l

Rp 2 n2 - 1 2 p 2
9 Rp 2 n2 - 1 2 9p 2
9
1
1
l
l

= -
+ g
+
F33 - f
+ 2 k 2 m - 2 + g 2 +
+ 2 k 4 m d nn
mn , n
4p R 2

4l 2
8l
3p 4 R
2 R
R
2l
8l

(k)
(l)
(m)

(n)

(o)

{F }

33 - g mn , n

{F33- h }mn ,n

(p)
(o)

(s)
(t)

(u)

(v)

2
2
2

2
2
n -1 l
n -1 l
l l
Rp
- 1 k - l l + g 9 Rp +
- 9 k d
+ g
+
(w)
1
m

3 m nn
2 2
2 2

p
p
p
p
4
l
R
2
3
4
l
R
2
p
p
R
R

2
2
2

2
2
n -1 l
n -1 l
l l
Rp
- 9 k d (x)
- 1 k - l l + g 9 Rp +
= -
+ g
+
2m
4 m nn

2 2
2 2

pR
3p p R
2
pR
2
4l
4l
p p R

(40)

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{P11}mn,mn = {P22}mn,mn = -{P33}mn,mn = -d mmd nn

(b)
{Q11- a}mn,n = {Q22-c }mn,n = -f1md nn
(c)
{Q11-b}mn,n = {Q22-d }mn,n = -f2 md nn
l

{Q33- e }mn,n = 4p 9k1m

l
=4p

(a)

k 3m
d
3 nn

(d)

k 4m
Q33- f
9k 2 m +
d
mn ,n
3 nn

k
l
= 3 k 1m - 3 m d nn
Q33- g
mn ,n
3
p
k 4m
l3
Q
=
+
k
{ 33- h }mn,n
2m
d
3 nn
p3

(41)

(e)
(f)
(g)

The symbols1m, 2m, 3m, 4m, 1m, 2m, 1m, 2m, 1m, 2m, and mi in the above equations are
defined as

sin(

p
x) = k 1m cos lm x;
2l
m=0

k 1m =
4

(1 - 4m 2 )p

cos(

p
x) = k 2 m cos lm x;
2l
m=0

k 2m =
m
4( - 1)
2
(1 - 4m )p

sin(

3p
x) = k 3 m cos lm x;
2l
m=0

cos(

3p
x) = k 4 m cos lm x;
2l
m=0

m = 0,
(a,b)

m 0,

m = 0,
(c,d)

m 0,

3p

k 3m =
12

(9 - 4m 2 )p

2
- 3p

k 4m =
12(
1)m+1

2
(9 - 4m )p

m = 0,
(e,f)

m 0,
m = 0,

(g, h)

m 0,

l
m = 0,

12

f1m =
2 2
m
+
p
2
6
6(
1)
l
m
m=0

m 0,
m4p 4

l
m = 0,

12

a 2 ( x) = f2 m cos lm x;
f2 m =
2 2
m
m
m=0
2l m p ( -1) + 6 - 6( -1)
m 0,

m4p 4

0
m = 0,

j1m = 4 2 + ( -1)m
a 1 ( x) = j1m cos lm x;
m=0
m 0,

m2p 2

0
m = 0,

a 2 ( x) = j2 m cos lm x;
j2 m = 4 1 + 2( -1)m
m=0
m 0,

m2p 2

1
m = 0,

a 1( x) = y 1m cos lm x;
y 1m =
m
m=0
12 -1 + ( -1)
m 0,

lm2p 2

1
m = 0,

a 2( x) = y 2 m cos lm x;
y 2m =
m
m=0
12 -1 + ( -1)
m 0,

lm2p 2

0
i = 0,

i
1 - ( -1)

m
=
0,

ip
c mi =
sin lm x = c im cos li x = sin li x = c mi cos lm x;
i 0.
i
m
2i ( -1)m + i - 1
m 0,

( m2 - i 2 )p

a 1 ( x) =

f1m cos lm x;

(i,j)

(42)

(k, l)

(m,n)

(o,p)

(q,r)

(s, t)

(u,v)

Vibrations of Cylindrical Shells

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All the unmentioned elements in matrices P and Q are identically equal to zero.
Equations (32) and (36) can be combined into

r hw 2
M x = 0,
K
K

where K = E + F L

-1

S andM = P + Q L

(43)

-1

S.

The final system of equations, Eq. (19) or (41), represents a standard characteristic equation
for a matrix eigen-problem from which all the eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be readily
calculated. It should be mentioned that the elements in each eigenvector are actually the ex
pansion coefficients for the corresponding mode; its physical mode shape can be directly
obtained from Eqs. (7) or (27).
In the above discussions, the stiffness distribution for each restraining spring is assumed to
be axisymmetric or uniform along the circumference. However, this restriction is not neces
sary. For non-uniform elastic boundary restraints, the displacement expansions, Eq. (27),
shall be used, and any and all of stiffness constants can be simply understood as varying
with spatial angle . For simplicity, we can universally expand these functions into standard
cosine series and modify Eq. (31) accordingly to reflect this complicating factor.

3. Results and discussion

Several numerical examples will be given below to verify the two solution strategies descri
bed earlier.
3.1. Results about the approximate Rayleigh-Ritz solution
We first consider a familiar simply-supported cylindrical shell. The simply supported boun
dary condition, N x = M x = v = w = 0at each end, can be considered as a special case when
k2,6 = k3,7 = and k1,5 = k4,8 = 0 (in actual calculations, infinity is represented by a sufficiently

large number). To examine the convergence of the solution, Table 1 shows the frequency pa
rameters, = R (1 2) / E , calculated using different numbers of terms in the series ex
pansions. It is seen that the solution converges nicely with only a small number of terms. In
the following calculations, the expansions in axial direction will be simply truncated to
M=15. Given in Table 2 are the frequencies parameters for some lower-order modes. Exact
solution is available for the simply supported case and the results are also shown there for
comparison. An excellent agreement is observed between these two sets of results. Although
the simply supported boundary condition represents the simplest case in shell analysis, this
problem is not trivial in testing the reliability and sophistication of the current solution
method. From numerical analysis standpoint, it may actually represent a quite challenging
case because of the extreme stiffness values involved. The non-trivialness can also been seen

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mathematically from the fact that the simple sine function (in the axial direction) in the exact
solution is actually expanded as a cosine series expansion in the current solution.

= R (1 2) / E

Number of terms used in the

series

n=0

n=1

n=2

n=3

n=4

M=5

0.464652

0.257389

0.127132

0.143329

0.234823

M=7

0.464649

0.257386

0.127129

0.143327

0.234822

M=9

0.464648

0.257385

0.127128

0.143327

0.234822

M=10

0.464648

0.257385

0.127128

0.143327

0.234822

Table 1. Frequency parameters, = R (1 2) / E, obtained using different numbers of terms in the displacement
expansions.

= R (1 2) / E

Mode
n=0

n=1

n=2

n=3

n=4

m=1, Current

0.464648

0.257385

0.127128

0.143327

0.234822

Exact

0.464648

0.257385

0.127128

0.143327

0.234822

m=2, Current

0.928907

0.574179

0.337652

0.248813

0.285620

Exact

0.928907

0.574176

0.337649

0.248810

0.285619

m=3, Current

0.948172

0.764375

0.532951

0.399893

0.383688

Exact

0.948172

0.764355

0.532923

0.399865

0.383667

Table 2. Frequency parameters, = R (1 2) / E, for a simply-supported shell; L=4R, h/R=0.05 and =0.3.

Next, consider a cylindrical shell clamped at each end, that is,u = v = w = w / x = 0. The
clamped-clamped boundary condition is a case when the stiffnesses of the restraining
springs all become infinitely large. The related shell and material parameters are as follows:
L=0.502 m, R=0.0635 m, h=0.00163 m, E=2.11011, =0.28, and =7800. Listed in Table 3 are
some of the lowest natural frequencies for this clamped-clamped shell. The reference results
given there are calculated from
W6 - A2W 4 + A1W 2 - A0 = 0

(44)

where = R (1 2) / E, and the coefficients A0, A1 and A2 are the functions of the modal
indices, shell parameters, and the boundary conditions [27]. Equation (42) can be derived
from the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure by adopting the beam characteristic functions as the axial
functions for all three displacement components. A noticeable difference between these two
sets of results may be attributed to the fact that: a) Eq. (42) given in ref. [29] is based on the
Flgge shell theory, rather than the Donnell-Mushtari theory, and b) Eq. (42) uses only a sin

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gle beam characteristic function in contrast to the three complete sets (of basis functions) in
the current method.

Current

Mode

Eq. (42)

m=1

Current

Eq. (42)

m=2

n=1

1886.74

2035.05

3854.75

4302.05

934.220

971.531

2039.66

2189.59

982.265

990.339

1454.80

1500.07

1598.55

1600.90

1769.54

1782.28

2484.78

2486.49

2572.31

2578.07

Table 3. The natural frequencies in Hz for a clamped-clamped shell; L=0.502 m, R=0.0635 m, h=0.00163 m, E=2.1E+11,
=0.28, =7800 kg/m3.

Mode

n=2

n=3

n=4

n=5

n=6

n=7

0.00413

0.00986

0.01792

0.02830

0.04099

0.05599

0.00310

0.00876

0.01680

0.02717

0.03986

0.05487

0.00310

0.00876

0.01679

0.02714

0.03980

0.05475

0.01907

0.01676

0.02068

0.02995

0.04220

0.05713

0.00343

0.00924

0.01734

0.02774

0.04045

0.05546

0.00343

0.00923

0.01731

0.02769

0.04037

0.05533

0.24075

0.13190

0.08343

0.06292

0.05906

0.06606

0.23810

0.12836

0.07938

0.05893

0.05555

0.06332

Translation:
current
(2.130) [22]
FEA
Rotation:
Current
(2.132) [22]
FEA
m=1:
Current
FEA
Table 4. Frequency parameters, = R (1 2) / E, for a free-free shell; R=0.5 m, L=4R, h=0.002R, and =0.28.

Another classical example involves a completely free shell. Vibration of a free-free shell is of
particular interest as manifested in the debate between two legendary figures, Rayleigh and
Love, about the validity of the inextensional theory of shells. The lower-order modes are
typically related to the rigid-body motions in the axial direction. Theoretically, the Hw ma
trix given in Eqs. (14) will become non-invertible for a completely free shell. However, this
numerical irregularity can be easily avoided by letting one of the bending-related springs
^
have a very small stiffness, such as,k 4 = 106. Table 4 shows a comparison of the frequency
parameters calculated using different techniques. While the results obtained from the cur
rent technique agree reasonably well with the other two reference sets, perhaps within the
variance of different shell theories, the frequency parameters for the two lower order modes
with rigid-body rotation (n=2 and 3) are clearly inaccurate which probably indicates that the
inability of exactly satisfying the shell boundary conditions by the beam functions tends

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to have more serious consequence in such a case. Amazingly enough, the inextensional theo
ry works very well in predicting the frequency parameters for the rigid-body modes
(those with rigid-body motions in the axial direction). It is also seen that the frequency pa
rameters of the rigid-body modes increases monotonically with the circumferential modal
index n.
After it has been adequately illustrated how the classical boundary conditions can be easily
and universally dealt with by simply changing the stiffness values of the restraining springs,
we will direct our attention to shells with elastic end restraints. For the purpose of compari
son, the problems previously studied in ref. [20] will be considered here. It was observed in
that study that the tangential stiffness had the greatest effect on the natural frequency of the
cylinder supported at both ends while the axial boundary stiffness had the greatest influ
ence on the natural frequency of the cylinder supported at one end. It was also determined
that natural frequencies varied rapidly with the boundary flexibility when the non-dimen
sionalized stiffness is between 10-2 and 102.
The frequency parameters for the clamped-free shell are shown in Table 5 for the reduced
^
axial stiffness k 1 L (1 2) = 1 (corresponding to ku* = 1 in ref. [20]). It is seen that the current

results are slightly larger than those taken from ref. [20]. The possible reasons include: 1) the
difference in shell theories (the Flgge theory, rather than the Donnell-Mushtari, was used
there), and 2) different Poisson ratios may have been used in the calculations.
Mode

n=0

n=1

m=1

0.9752

0.514686

m=2

1.22044

1.12788

n=2
0.32866
(0.315*)
1.08573

n=3
0.361036
1.10467

n=4
0.532604
(0.498)
1.16021

n=5
0.782661
1.432

Note: the numbers in parentheses are taken from ref. [20]

Table 5. Frequency parameters, = R (1 2) / E, for a clamped-free shell; R=0.00625 m, L=R, h=0.1R, =0.28,
^
andk 1 L (1 2) = 1.

Although all eight sets of springs can be independently specified here, for simplicity we will
only consider a simple configuration: a cantilevered shell with an elastic support being attach
ed to its free (right) end in the radial direction. Listed in Table 6 are the four lowest natural fre
^
quencies for several different stiffness values. Obviously, the cases for k 7 = 0 and represent
the clamped-free and clamped-simply supported boundary conditions, respectively.
The mode shapes for the three intermediate stiffness values are plotted in Figs. 2-4. It is seen
that the modal parameters can be significantly modified by the stiffness of the restraining
^
springs. The four modes in Fig. 2 for k 7 = 0.01 m-1 closely resemble their counterparts in the

clamped-free case, even though the natural frequencies have been modified noticeably.
While all the first four natural frequencies happen to increase, more or less, with the spring
stiffness, the modal sequences are not necessarily the same. For example, when the spring

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^
stiffness k 7 is increased from 0.01 to 0.1 m-1, the third natural frequency goes from 886.66 to
926.17 Hz. However, this frequency drift may not necessarily reflect the direct effect of the
stiffness change on the (original) third mode. It is evident from Figs. 2 and 3 that the third
and fourth modes are actually switched in these two cases: the original third mode now be
comes the fourth at 1200.88 Hz. It is also interesting to note that while stiffening the elastic
^
support k 7 (from 0.01 to 0.1 m-1) has significantly raised the natural frequencies for the first
two modes, the fourth mode is adversely affected: its frequency has actually dropped from
1023.61 to 926.17 Hz (see Figs. 2 and 3). A similar trend is also observed between the fourth
^
^
mode for k 7=0.1 m-1 and the second mode for k 7=1 m-1, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Mode

^
k7 = 0

^
k 7 = 0.01

^
k 7 = 0.1

^
k7=1

^
k 7 = 1010

404.108

451.242

627.345

729.593

742.920

487.598

513.222

679.082

935.745

936.719

865.603

886.656

926.173

1084.91,

1269.58

1003.38

1023.61

1200.88

1319.99, ,

1333.37

Table 6. Natural frequencies in Hz for a clamped-elastically supported shell; L=0.502 m, R=0.0635 m, h=0.00163 m,
^ ^ ^
E=2.1E+11, =0.28, =7800 kg/m3;k 5 = k 6 = k 8 = 0.

^ ^ ^
^
Figure 2. First four modes for the clamped-elastically supported shell; k 7 = 0.01 m-1andk 5 = k 6 = k 8 = 0.

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^ ^ ^
^
Figure 3. First four modes for the clamped-elastically supported shell; k 7 = 0.1 m-1andk 5 = k 6 = k 8 = 0.

^ ^ ^
^
Figure 4. First four modes for the clamped-elastically supported shell; k 7 = 1 m-1andk 5 = k 6 = k 8 = 0.

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3.2. An exact solution based on the Flgges equations

To validate the exact solution method, the simply supported shell is considered again. Given
in Table 7 are the calculated natural frequency parameters = R (1 2) / E . The current
results agree well with the exact solutions based on Flgges theory [30], solutions based on
beam functions [31] and three-dimensional linear elasticity solutions [30].

h/R

= R (1 2) / E

0.05

0.002

Ref. [30]a

Ref. [31]

Ref. [30]b

Present

0.0929586

0.0929682

0.0929296

0.0929590

0.0161065

0.0161029

0.0161063

0.0161064

0.0393038

0.0392710

0.0392332

0.0393035

0.1098527

0.1098113

0.1094770

0.1098468

0.2103446

0.2102770

0.2090080

0.2103419

0.0929296

0.0929298

0.0929296

0.0929299

0.0161011

0.0161011

0.0161011

0.0161023

0.0054532

0.0054530

0.0054524

0.0054547

0.0050419

0.0050415

0.0050372

0.0050427

0.0085341

0.0085338

0.0085341

0.0085344

Exact solutions based on Flgges theory.

Three-dimensional linear elasticity solutions.

Table 7. Comparison of values of the natural frequency parameter = R (1 2) / E for a circular cylindrical shell
with simply supported boundary conditions, m = 1, R/l = 0.05, = 0.3.

m=1

m=2

FEM

present

difference (%)

FEM

present

difference (%)

3229.8

3230.3

0.015%

5131.4

5131.1

0.006%

2478.6

2479.3

0.028%

4830.4

4830.6

0.004%

269.20

269.30

0.037%

276.62

278.58

0.704%

761.25

761.01

0.032%

770.99

771.62

0.082%

1459.2

1458.6

0.041%

1469.6

1469.3

0.020%

2359.4

2358.6

0.034%

2369.9

2369.0

0.038%

Table 8. Comparison of values of the natural frequency for a circular cylindrical shell with free-free boundary
conditions, L=0.502 m, R=0.0635 m, h=0.00163 m, =0.28, E=2.1E+11 N/m3, =7800 kg/m3.

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The current solution method is also compared with the finite element model (ANSYS) for
shells under free-free boundary condition. In the FEM model, the shell surface is divided in
to 8000 elements with 8080 nodes. The calculated natural frequencies are compared in Ta
bles 8. An excellent agreement is observed between these two solution methods.
In most techniques, such as the wave approach, the beam functions for the analogous boun
dary conditions are often used to determine the axial modal wavenumbers. While such an
approach is exact for a simply supported shell, and perhaps acceptable for slender thin
shells, it may become problematic for shorter shells due to the increased coupling of the ra
dial and two in-plane displacements. To illustrate this point, we consider relatively shorter
and thicker shell (l=8R and R =39h). The calculated natural frequencies are compared in Ta
ble 9 for a clamped-clamped shell. It is seen that while the current and FEM results are in
good agreement, the frequencies obtained from the wave approach (based on the use of
beam functions) are significantly higher, especially for the lower order modes.

m=1

m=2

FEM

Ref. [32]

present

FEM

Ref. [32]

Present

3229.8

4845.5

3230.3

5146.0

8075.8

5139.8

1882.8

2350.2

1880.9

3850.7

4775.6

3848.9

899.59

985.48

898.18

2017.8

2303.4

2014.1

896.97

919.01

896.56

1390.9

1479.2

1388.9

1501.9

1517.45

1501.6

1676.4

1714.0

1676.0

2386.1

2402.05

2386.0

2472.5

2501.8

2472.6

Table 9. Comparison of the natural frequencies for a circular cylindrical shell with clamped-clamped boundary
conditions, L=0.502 m, R=0.0635 m, h=0.00163 m, =0.28, E=2.1E+11 N/m3, =7800 kg/m3.

The exact solution method can be readily applied to shells with elastic boundary supports.
Since the above examples are considered adequate in illustrating the reliability and accuracy
of the current method, we will not elaborate further by presenting the results for elastically
restrained shells. Instead, we will simply point out that the solution method based on Eqs.
(27) is also valid for non-uniform or varying boundary restraint along the circumferential di
rection, which represents a significant advancement over many existing techniques.

4. Conclusion
An improved Fourier series solution method is described for vibration analysis of cylindri
cal shells with general elastic supports. This method can be easily and universally applied to
a wide variety of boundary conditions including all the 136 classical homogeneous boun
dary conditions. The displacement functions are invariantly expressed as series expansions
in terms of the complete set of trigonometric functions, which can mathematically ensure

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the accuracy and convergence of the present solution. From practical point of view, the
change of boundary conditions here is as simple as varying a typical shell or material pa
rameter (e.g., thickness or mass density), and does not involve any solution algorithm and
procedure modifications to adapt to different boundary conditions. In addition, the pro
posed method does not require pre-determining any secondary data such as modal parame
ters for an analogous beam, or modifying the implementation algorithms to avoid the
numerical instabilities resulting from computer round-off errors. It should be mentioned
that the current method can be readily extended to shells with arbitrary non-uniform elastic
restraints. The accuracy and reliability of the current solutions have been demonstrated
through numerical examples involving various boundary conditions.

Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (No. 50979018).

Author details
Tiejun Yang1, Wen L. Li2 and Lu Dai1
1 College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, PR
China
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA

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