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The article covers several mathematical problems relating to elastic stability of thin shells in view of inconsistencies that have been recently identified between the experimental data and the predictions based on the shallow- shell theory. It is highlighted that the contradictions were caused by new algorithms that enabled updating the values of the so called “low critical stresses” calculated in the 20th century and adopted as a buckling criterion for thin shallow shells by technical standards. The new calculations often find the low critical stress close to zero. Therefore, the low critical stress cannot be used as a safety factor for the buckling analysis of the thinwalled structure, and the equations of the shallow-shell theory need to be replaced with other differential equations. The new theory also requires a buckling criterion ensuring the match between calculations and experimental data.

The article demonstrates that the contradiction with the new experiments can be resolved within the dynamic nonlinear three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The stress when bifurcation of dynamic modes occurs shall be taken as a buckling criterion. The nonlinear form of original equations causes solitary (solitonic) waves that match non-smooth displacements (patterns, dents) of the shells. It is essential that the solitons make an impact at all stages of loading and significantly increase closer to bifurcation. The solitonic solutions are illustrated based on the thin cylindrical momentless shell when its three-dimensional volume is simulated with twodimensional surface of the set thickness. It is noted that the pattern-generating waves can be detected (and their amplitudes can by identified) with acoustic or electromagnetic devices.

Thus, it is technically possible to reduce the risk of failure of the thin shells by monitoring the shape of the surface with acoustic devices. The article concludes with a setting of the mathematical problems requiring the solution for the reliable numerical assessment of the buckling criterion for thin elastic shells.

The paper deals with the mathematical model formulation for studying the nonlinear hydro-elastic response of the narrow channel wall supported by a spring with cubic nonlinearity and interacting with a pulsating viscous liquid filling the channel. In contrast to the known approaches, within the framework of the proposed mathematical model, the inertial and dissipative properties of the viscous incompressible liquid and the restoring force nonlinearity of the supporting spring were simultaneously taken into account. The mathematical model was an equations system for the coupled plane hydroelasticity problem, including the motion equations of a viscous incompressible liquid, with the corresponding boundary conditions, and the channel wall motion equation as a single-degree-of-freedom model with a cubic nonlinear restoring force. Initially, the viscous liquid dynamics was investigated within the framework of the hydrodynamic lubrication theory, i. e. without taking into account the liquid motion inertia. At the next stage, the iteration method was used to take into account the motion inertia of the viscous liquid. The distribution laws of the hydrodynamic parameters for the viscous liquid in the channel were found which made it possible to determine its reaction acting on the channel wall. As a result, it was shown that the original hydroelasticity problem is reduced to a single nonlinear equation that coincides with the Duffing equation. In this equation, the damping coefficient is determined by the liquid physical properties and the channel geometric dimensions, and taking into account the liquid motion inertia lead to the appearance of an added mass. The nonlinear equation study for hydroelastic oscillations was carried out by the harmonic balance method for the main frequency of viscous liquid pulsations. As a result, the primary steady-state hydroelastic response for the channel wall supported by a spring with softening or hardening cubic nonlinearity was found. Numerical modeling of the channel wall hydroelastic response showed the possibility of a jumping change in the amplitudes of channel wall oscillations, and also made it possible to assess the effect of the liquid motion inertia on the frequency range in which these amplitude jumps are observed.

Buckling problems of thin elastic shells have become relevant again because of the discrepancies between the standards in many countries on how to estimate loads causing buckling of shallow shells and the results of the experiments on thinwalled aviation structures made of high-strength alloys. The main contradiction is as follows: the ultimate internal stresses at shell buckling (collapsing) turn out to be lower than the ones predicted by the adopted design theory used in the USA and European standards. The current regulations are based on the static theory of shallow shells that was put forward in the 1930s: within the nonlinear theory of elasticity for thin-walled structures there are stable solutions that significantly differ from the forms of equilibrium typical to small initial loads. The minimum load (the lowest critical load) when there is an alternative form of equilibrium was used as a maximum permissible one. In the 1970s it was recognized that this approach is unacceptable for complex loadings. Such cases were not practically relevant in the past while now they occur with thinner structures used under complex conditions. Therefore, the initial theory on bearing capacity assessments needs to be revised. The recent mathematical results that proved asymptotic proximity of the estimates based on two analyses (the three-dimensional dynamic theory of elasticity and the dynamic theory of shallow convex shells) could be used as a theory basis. This paper starts with the setting of the dynamic theory of shallow shells that comes down to one resolving integrodifferential equation (once the special Green function is constructed). It is shown that the obtained nonlinear equation allows for separation of variables and has numerous time-period solutions that meet the Duffing equation with “a soft spring”. This equation has been thoroughly studied; its numerical analysis enables finding an amplitude and an oscillation period depending on the properties of the Green function. If the shell is oscillated with the trial time-harmonic load, the movement of the surface points could be measured at the maximum amplitude. The study proposes an experimental set-up where resonance oscillations are generated with the trial load normal to the surface. The experimental measurements of the shell movements, the amplitude and the oscillation period make it possible to estimate the safety factor of the structure bearing capacity with non-destructive methods under operating conditions.

This article is dedicated to the construction of the approximate mathematical model of the nonlinear elasticity theory for plane strain state. The third order effects method applied to symbolic computing. There three boundary value problems for the first, the second and the third order effects has been obtained within this method, which gets ability to use well-elaborated methods of the linear elasticity theory for the solution of specific problems. This method can be applied for analytical solving of plane problems of nonlinear elasticity theory of stress concentration around holes in mathematical package Maple. Considered example of the triangular hole. The influence of external loads on the stress concentration factor.

It is known that the sound speed in medium that contain highly compressible inclusions, e.g. air pores in an elastic medium or gas bubbles in the liquid may be significantly reduced compared to a homogeneous medium. Effective nonlinear parameter of medium, describing the manifestation of nonlinear effects, increases hundreds and thousands of times because of the large differences in the compressibility of the inclusions and the medium. Spatial change in the concentration of such inclusions leads to the variable local sound speed, which in turn calls the spatial-temporal redistribution of acoustic energy in the wave and the distortion of its temporal profiles and cross-section structure of bounded beams. In particular, focal areas can form. Under certain conditions, the sound channel is formed that provides waveguide propagation of acoustic signals in the medium with similar inclusions. Thus, it is possible to control spatial-temporal structure of acoustic waves with the introduction of highly compressible inclusions with a given spatial distribution and concentration. The aim of this work is to study the propagation of acoustic waves in a rubberlike material with non-uniform spatial air cavities. The main objective is the development of an adequate theory of such structurally inhomogeneous media, theory of propagation of nonlinear acoustic waves and beams in these media, the calculation of the acoustic fields and identify the communication parameters of the medium and inclusions with characteristics of propagating waves. In the work the evolutionary self-consistent equation with integro-differential term is obtained describing in the low-frequency approximation propagation of intense acoustic beams in a medium with highly compressible cavities. In this equation the secondary acoustic field is taken into account caused by the dynamics of the cavities oscillations. The method is developed to obtain exact analytical solutions for nonlinear acoustic field of the beam on its axis and to calculate the field in the focal areas. The obtained results are applied to theoretical modeling of a material with non-uniform distribution of strongly compressible inclusions.