Abstract
In this paper, a formulation for the dynamic stability analysis of circular cylindrical shells under axial compression with various boundary conditions is presented. The present study uses Love’s first approximation theory for thin shells and the characteristic beam functions as approximate axial modal functions. Applying the Ritz procedure to the Lagrangian energy expression yields a system of Mathieu–Hill equations the stability of which is analyzed using Bolotin’s method. The present study examines the effects of different boundary conditions on the parametric response of homogeneous isotropic cylindrical shells for various transverse modes and length parameters.