Evaluation of Reissner's Equations of Finite Pure Bending of Curved Elastic Tubes.

The paper discusses nonlinear equations of in-plane bending of curved tubes formulated by E. Reissner in terms of two unknown functions and two unknown parameters. To solve the equations, a numerical method based on the finite-difference approximations and Newton-Raphson iteration technique is proposed. Deformations and stresses in tubes of circular and noncircular cross sections are studied for a wide range of geometrical parameters. The accuracy of the equations is evaluated by comparing the numerical results with predictions obtained by a special shell finite element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]