Temperature gradient effect on dynamic properties of a polymeric circular cylindrical shell

In this paper, an experimental study on the dynamic of cylindrical shells made of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is presented; a thermic gradient has been applied on a specimen of the present work to obtain a functionally gradient material (FGM) equivalent properties: the PET shell had been exposed at a thermal temperature gradient in the range of its glass transition temperature of 79 °C. A complex setup has been specifically designed and built to characterise, with dynamic tests, the structural properties of the specimen on temperature change from −10 °C up to about 90 °C and under thermic gradient with different forcing load. Predicting the mechanical properties of shells, panels and plates is one of the main concerns of structural engineers; since shell elements present complicated stability behaviours, rich linear vibration spectra (high modal density), high sensitivity to perturbations and strong interactions with surrounding elements. The linear and dynamic behaviour have been investigated. The shell behaviour is also investigated by means of a finite element model, in order to enhance the comprehension of experimental results.