Prediction of natural frequencies of finite length circular cylindrical shells

Analysis of the vibration characteristics of finite circular cylindrical shells is more complex than for beams and plates. This is because the coupling of vibration of shells between the three directions can no longer be neglected. A literature review of the subject reveals that in traditional analysis, assumptions are made to simplify the equations of motion so that they can be solved directly with the appropriate boundary conditions. Consequently, the results obtained could be in error under certain conditions. Based on the Loveʹs equations and an infinite length model, a novel wave approach is introduced to predict the natural frequencies of finite length circular cylindrical shells with different boundary conditions without simplifying the equations of motion. Results obtained compare favourably with those obtained using the finite element method.