Strain-Based Finite Element Analysis of Stiffened Cylindrical Shell Roof

A new triangular cylindrical shell finite element is used to obtain an elastic linear analysis of a cylindrical shell roof. The element’s displacement fields are in terms of curvilinear coordinates, satisfy the exact requirement of rigid body modes of deformation and have five degrees of freedom at each of the three corner nodes. The efficiency of the developed element is first tested and then applied to analyze stiffened cylindrical shell roof. The results of the displacement and stress resultant along the stiffener are presented and a parametric study is carried out to find the effect of the varying geometry of the stiffener and the effect of axis rotation of the beam on the level of the internal forces.