Inflation of joined dissimilar elastic tubes

Abstract

Two finite or semi-infinite cylindrical elastic membranes are joined together and inflated with appropriate axial loading. The join forms an annular region in a plane perpendicular to the common axis of both tubes. For definiteness each cylinder is taken to be isotropic and incompressible but with different material and geometrical properties. A general formulation of the problem is given. We are primarily interested in the wrinkling of the cylinder with larger undeformed radius, and some numerical examples are given for this case.