Abstract: In this paper, based on the theory of thick shells including effects of transverseshear deformations, a complex variables analytic me method to solve stress concentrationsin circular cylindrical shells with a small cutout is established. A general solution andexpression satisfying the boundary conditions on the edge of arbitrary’ cutouts areobtained. The stress problem can be reduced ic the solution of an infinte algebraicequation series, and can be normalized by means of this method. Numerical results forstress concentration factors of the shell with a small circular and elliptic elliptic arepresented.

Key words: thick cylindrical shell, cutout, stress concentration, complexvariable method and conformal mapping