Strain growth of the in-plane response in an elastic cylindrical shell

Strain growth is a phenomenon observed in containment vessels subjected to internal blast loading. The local elastic response of the vessel may become larger in a later stage compared to its response in the initial stage. To find out the possible mechanisms of the strain growth phenomenon, the in-plane response of an elastic cylindrical shell subjected to an internal blast loading is investigated. Vibration frequencies of membrane modes and bending modes are calculated theoretically and numerically. The dynamic non-linear in-plane responses of an elastic cylindrical shell subjected to internal impulsive loading are studied by theoretical analysis and finite-element simulation using LS-DYNA. It is shown that the coupling between the membrane breathing mode and flexural bending modes is the primary cause of strain growth in this problem. The first peak strain of the breathing mode and the ratio of the thickness to the radius are the dominant factors determining the occurrence of strain growth. Other mechanisms, which have been suggested in previous studies (e.g. beating between vibration modes with close frequencies, interactions between multiple vibration modes, resonance between vessel vibration and reflected blast wave, influence of structural perturbations), are secondary causes for the occurrence of the strain growth phenomenon in the studied problem.