NONLINEAR STATIC BEHAVIOR OF SHALLOW SPHERICAL-SHELL ON A KERR FOUNDATION

A large deflection analysis of a shallow spherical shell on a Kerr fou ndation is carried out for a uniformly distributed load and for differ ent edge conditions, using the Sinharay and Banerjee approach. Detaile d parametric studies involving variations in geometric, material and f oundation properties are made; load-deflection curves for shells on a Kerr foundation are compared with those for shells on an equivalent Pa sternak foundation. This study shows that the deflection reduces if th e curvature, the Poisson's ratio or the foundation parameters of the s hear and lower spring layer are increased. Shells with immovable edges are found to be more prone and vulnerable to changes in various param eters than those with movable edges.