Effect of Reinforcement Geometry on the Stresses in Spherical Shells

Analysis is given for stress distribution in a shallow spherical shell with a reinforced circular opening at the vertex. Influence coefficients are given for a shallow spherical shell and for various types of reinforcing rings. General expressions are obtained for discontinuity forces at the ring-shell junction in terms of influence coefficients. Efficiency of various types of reinforcement ranging from compact rings to cylindrical types of reinforcement is investigated in detail. In addition, comparison is made between symmetrical and unsymmetrical types of reinforcement. The results show that in many practical designs, an unsymmetrical reinforcement is more efficient than a symmetrical one.