THE EQUILIBRIUM EQUATIONS OF MEMBRANE SHELLS EXPRESSED IN GENERAL SURFACE COORDINATES

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to derive the equations expressing the static equilibrium of membrane shells without introducing the bending theory. The first part gives a comprehensive introduction to the notions of tensor analysis which are needed in the forthcoming mechanical applications and contains a brief sketch of the background in classical differential geometry. The derived formulas are illustrated on some simple examples in the last chapter.