Shape optimization of dynamically loaded viscoelastic cylindrical shells

Axisymmetric deflections of cylindrical shells of variable thickness are examined. The shell material is linear viscoelastic. The loading is of the impulsive type - it induces inside the shell a radial velocity field. The amount of kinetic energy is prescribed. The thickness function includes some design parameters, which must be calculated so that deflections of the beam are minimal. Only designs with a given volume are considered. For solving this optimization problem the space variable and the time will be separated. For evaluating the minimum of the objective function the Nelder-Mead technique has been used. Computations show that the viscosity effect is essential only for very short shells. Some numerical examples are presented.