Some features of the natural flexural vibrations of circular rings with initial imperfections

The effect of small initial deviations from an ideal circular shape on the frequencies and modes of the natural oscillations of a thin ring under conditions of plane deformation is investigated. The analysis is based on the equations of motion of the shallow shell theory when the length of the shell tends to infinity. A new approach is proposed to the construction of a finite-dimensional model of a ring in which it is assumed that initial imperfections lead to the interaction of flexural and radial vibrations. A number of assertions are formulated and proved regarding the specific features which accompany the vibrations of an imperfect ring that apparently also have to be taken into account when investigating the dynamic characteristics of thin circular cylindrical shells with initial imperfections.