Concentrated Edge Loads on Hyperboloidal Shells

The work presented in this paper shows that hyperboloid shells can be inexpensively analyzed under the action of concentrated loads using an axisymmetric program. From the point of view of behavior, the numerical analyses pointed out that a negative curvature shell under the action of a concentrated load tangent to the meridian develops important bending moments and out of plane shears as a condition for the distribution of the concentrated load throughout the shell. It also exhibits a tendency of the stresses to propagate along the straight line generatrices as in the membrane theory; but the numerical results of the membrane theory can be misleading. Under a self‐equilibrating harmonic load tangent to the meridian this shell shows a rapid damping of the stresses away from the edge when the harmonic number is high (usually as $n⩾5$). The increase in the ratio h/R and the decrease in the foundation stiffness are two factors that reduce the membrane propagation and increase the bending moments.