Research on the accuracy of the generalized Lévy’s solution for deflection of open cylindrical shell structures

In the last century, the plate and shell theory has been developed and matured through the research of many theoretical workers at home and abroad. The generalized Lévy’s solution can be used to obtain the static response of a semi-cylindrical shell with curved ends simply supported under arbitrary load. However, the solution is complex and difficult to calculate, so on this basis, a series of simplified methods under specific working conditions are developed, such as the moment-free theory and semi-moment-free theory of cylindrical shells. In this paper, MATLAB will be used to calculate the generalized Levi’s solution and semi-moment-free theory, and compare them with the finite element results of ANSYS. Finally, it is found that the two theoretical solutions can only roughly predict the distribution form of displacement, with an order of magnitude difference. The engineering significance is limited, and the results still need to be improved.