Wrinkling prediction of rectangular shell-membrane under transverse in-plane displacement

A novel shell-membrane concept is presented in this paper to define the wrinkling analytical object. A stress field model is established and applied to determine the different regions (taut, wrinkled and slack regions) of the shell-membrane. An analytical model based on the bifurcation theory of thin-plate is introduced to predict the wrinkling wavelength and amplitude. Numerical simulation incorporating nonlinear post-wrinkling analysis is employed to simulate the detailed nonlinear wrinkling behavior. To stabilize the finite element model, the initial prestress is introduced to the model at first. The out-of-plane disturbing forces are then applied to the model to initiate the wrinkling and complete the post-wrinkling analysis. Results from numerical simulation show good agreement with the analytical prediction.