Macroelement approach to the analysis of cylindrical-shells connected by taper-roller bearings

Abstract

The application of the macroelement technique to non-linear analysis of cylindrical shells connected by taper-roller bearings is presented. Two types of macroelements are proposed. The linear macroelement is based on substructuring technique and describes the shells, while a non-linear one refers to the taper-rollers. Evaluation of the stiffness matrix of the latter is discussed in detail. The results obtained by solving a numerical example are given to illustrate the model capability. The influence of connection flexibility on displacements and stresses on cylinders is also studied and expressed numerically.