Experimental Study of the Vibrations of a Circular Cylindrical Shell

An apparatus is described which permits the mode shape of a vibrating circular cylindrical shell to be obtained quite easily. These measurements are made without contacting the cylinder and can be converted to actual lineal values. A representative number of results obtained with such a system are shown to illustrate the relationship between the nodal pattern and frequency in a cylinder as well as the effect of internal pressure on these frequencies. Finally, comparisons are made between these results and Timoshenko theory and an appropriate shell theory.