Modal analysis of inflated membrane cone considering pressure follower force effect

Inflated membrane cones have attracted extensive research efforts in various fields owing to features such as ultra-light weight, high packaging efficiency. The pressure effect was considered in the vibration analysis of these structures because pressure was the main contributor to structural stiffness. Based on the virtual work principle and Timoshenko beam theory, an improved beam model considering the pressure effect, which includes the prestress stiffness and follower force effects, was proposed for the vibration of an inflated cone. The results calculated from the proposed model agreed strongly with the experimental results. Moreover, the pressure follower force effect was investigated using different pressures and taper angles. The study proved that the follower force effect decreased the natural frequencies in lower modes, and increased them in higher modes.