Effects of rotation upon parametric instability of a cylindrical shell subjected to periodic axial loads

Parametric instability of a rotating cylindrical shell under periodic axial loads has been analyzed based upon Bolotin's method in the literature. However, this method could not be used for gyroscopic systems due to the consideration of rotation. Thus, the parametric instability of the same system is studied utilizing the multiple scales method. Analytical expressions of instability boundaries for various modes are obtained, and verified by numerical analysis. As long as rotation is considered, there are only combination instability regions for the cylindrical shell under periodic axial loads. Moreover, effects of rotational speed, constant axial load and viscous damping on the location and width of various instability regions are also examined in detail. Through comparative analysis some errors in other recent studies are also highlighted. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.