OPTIMAL SHAPE DESIGN OF THIN AXISYMMETRIC SHELLS

Abstract

Abstract This paper is concerned with the optimal shape design of thin axisymmetric shells loaded symmetrically or non-symmetrically. The objective is to male a reference stress uniform along a part of the boundary to minimize the stress concentrations. For technological reasons, the boundary of the structure is composed of straight or circular segments defined by input data of master point coordinates and radius values. The design variables are easily deduced from the data. The analysis of the structure is performed by the finite element method using two or three node thin shell elements. Some test examples and an application of the program to the shape optimization of a bottle demonstrate the efficiency of the process.