Shell Mechanics

This graduate textbook covers the theory and applications of shells, with examples. It establishes general equations of motion, and presents particular theories and of applications, especially those related to plates and membranes. It offers basic solutions for pre-dimensioning and leads into FEA.

This book is devoted to shells, a natural or human construction, whose modelling as a structure was particularly developed during the 20th century, leading to current numerical models.

Many objects, in industry or civil engineering, come under shell mechanics, so a good knowledge of their behaviour and modelling is essential to master their design.

The book highlights the very strong link between the deformation of geometric surfaces and the mechanics of shells. The theory is approached in a general formulation that can apply to any surface, and the applications bring the concepts and the methods of resolution to practical situations. It aims to understand the behaviour of shells and to identify the most important parameters, thus allowing a good interpretation of the numerical results. The reader will be able, with finite element software, to reproduce the proposed solutions.

The book is based on the knowledge acquired by the reader in structural mechanics and provides essential information on the geometry of surfaces. It is ideal for students in the fields of engineering using mechanics, as well as professionals wishing to deepen their knowledge of shells.