Three-Dimensional Analysis of T-connections of Cylindrical Shells Considering Stages of Construction

A numerical analysis of the stress-strain state of intersecting cylindrical shells has been performed taking into account various types of nonlinearities (physical, contact, and structural). Intersecting cylindrical shells are considered as part of a large-scale three-dimensional “shell - soil” system. The study identified the most stressed areas of intersecting shells that require special attention during the modeling process. It should be noted that the particular complexity of these models lies in their high computational dimensionality since they include both the structure under consideration and its surrounding soil, which imposes additional requirements on the software packages used to solve such problems. Using modern methods of numerical analysis can significantly improve the quality of modeling and increase the accuracy of the results obtained. In particular, by considering the nonlinear properties of materials, it is possible to more accurately assess the actual behavior of shells under different external influences. In addition, the analysis shows that accounting for construction stages has a significant impact on the distribution of stresses in the intersecting shells. This underscores the need to consider the sequence of construction works, which in turn can contribute to increasing the overall reliability of the structure. Future prospects involve testing and validating the developed numerical analysis techniques on real “shell - soil” systems. The application of the obtained results to the design of load-bearing structures in real underground construction projects is also envisaged.