k Solution for t i e Thin Elastic Shell

The problem considered is the thin elastic shell described by the equations of Novozliilov with an arbitrary but smooth mid-surface that has a surface load and/or temperature distribution which varies rapidly with respect to one curvature coordinate. The particu-lar solution is obtained in the form of an asymptotic series in powers of a parameter which is a measure of the rapidity of variation in the distribution. The wide class of problems, for which only the first term of the asymptotic series need be retained, is analogous to the beam on an elastic foundation. However, the advantage of the complex representation of Novozliilov is demonstrated by an example in which the shell is loaded and heated on strips with several conditions of constraint. T, I HE technique of asymptotic integration of a dif-ferential equation with a large parameter provides a powerful tool for the study of the equations for the equilibrium of a thin elastic shell. Since the radius of curvature-to-thickness ratio appears as an explicit parameter in the shell equations and since this ratio must be large for thin-shell theory to be valid, it is quite natura