Simplified selection of optimal shell of revolution

Relevance. Architects and engineers, designing shells of revolution, use in their projects, as a rule, spherical shells, paraboloids, hyperboloids, and ellipsoids of revolution well proved themselves. But near hundreds of other surfaces of revolution, which can be applied with success in building and in machine-building, are known. Methods. Optimization problem of design of axisymmetric shell subjected to given external load is under consideration. As usual, the solution of this problem consists in the finding of shape of the meridian and in the distribution of the shell thickness along the meridian. In the paper, the narrower problem is considered. That is a selection of the shell shape from several known types, the middle surfaces of which can be given by parametrical equations. The results of static strength analyses of the domes of different Gaussian curvature with the same overall dimensions subjected to the uniformly distributed surface load are presented. Variational-difference energy method of analysis is used. Results. Comparison of results of strength analyses of six selected domes showed that a paraboloid of revolution and a dome with a middle surface in the form of the surface of rotation of the z = - a cosh( x/b ) curve around the Oz axis have the better indices of stress-strain state. These domes work almost in the momentless state and it is very well for thin-walled shell structures. New criterion of optimality can be called “minimum normal stresses in shells of revolution with the same overall dimensions, boundary conditions, and external load”.