Numerical investigations on the effect of member arrangement on the load resistance of single‐layer cylindrical shells

Abstract

Single‐layer cylindrical shells are widely used as roofing solutions for large‐span structures due to their light weight and structural efficiency. The load resistance of such structures is largely influenced by the member arrangement and boundary conditions. There are very limited studies on the effects of member arrangement on the load resistance of single‐layer cylindrical shell structures. Therefore, this study presents a comparative investigation of two single‐layer cylindrical shell configurations: a triangulated system with members in three directions and a simplified system with members in two directions, without transverse members. A two‐stage analysis framework is adopted for the study: eigenvalue linear buckling analysis followed by geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis with initial imperfection. The influence of boundary conditions ‐ all the edges supported, longitudinal edges supported, and circumferential edges supported ‐ is considered in the analysis. Weight‐normalised parameters are introduced for the rational comparison of the configurations. The results indicate that the member arrangement and the support conditions strongly influence the load resistance of such structures. Within the assumptions of the present study, the two‐directional configuration consistently demonstrated higher load resistance, as indicated by the weight‐normalised parameter. The findings suggest that simplified two‐directional configurations may offer a more structurally efficient solution under the adopted modelling assumptions for lightweight single‐layer cylindrical shells.