Axisymmetric bending solution of shells of revolution by the generalized differential quadrature rule

A generalized differential quadrature rule (GDQR) proposed recently by the authors is applied here to obtain the axisymmetric bending solution of shel ls of revolution, which includes both long and short cylinders and storage tanks with stepped wall thickness. The boundary conditions for long cylinde rs are simplified in a practical way. The analysis of storage tank with ste pped wall thickness is formulated with the aid of domain decomposition, and the compatibility conditions are expressed explicitly. The annular bottom plate and the stepped tank shell are considered as part of the whole. The e ngineering design of the annular bottom plate and the concrete ring wall is discussed considering an accurate assumption for the interaction between t he bottom plate and the foundation. Examples are presented to demonstrate t he efficiency of the GDQR. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.