Reduced-order models for nonlinear vibrations of cylindrical shells via the proper orthogonal decomposition method

The nonlinear (large-amplitude) response of perfect and imperfect, simply supported circular cylindrical shells to harmonic excitation in the spectral neighbourhood of some of their lowest natural frequencies is investigated. The shell is assumed to be completely filled with an incompressible and inviscid fluid at rest. Donnell's nonlinear shallow-shell theory is used. and the solution is obtained by the Galerkin method. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method is used to extract proper orthogonal modes that describe the system behaviour from time-series response data. These time series have been obtained via the conventional Galerkin approach (using normal modes as a projection basis) with an accurate model involving 16 degrees of freedom, validated in previous studies. The POD method, in conjunction with the Galerkin approach, permits a lower-dimensional model as compared to those obtainable via the conventional Galerkin approach. Different proper orthogonal modes computed from time series at different excitation frequencies are used and solutions are compared. Some of these sets of modes are capable of describing the system behaviour over the whole frequency range around the fundamental resonance with good accuracy and with only 3 degrees of freedom. They allow a drastic reduction in the computational effort, as compared to using the 16 degree-of-freedom model necessary when the conventional Galerkin approach is used. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.