Preliminaries of Shell Analysis and Design

The behavior of shell structures is, in various aspects, different from that of so-called “framed structures”. This feature originates mainly from the geometrical features of shells which make the internal force system in shells differ from those in other types of structural forms. The internal force distribution in shells is, in general, three dimensional, i.e., spatial. Moreover, shell structures carry the applied forces mostly by the so-called membrane forces, whereas other structural forms carry the applied loads by bending mechanisms. These unique features of shells are also reflected in their design as well as in their method of construction.