3

Figure 3
Figure 3 shows a hyperboloid of revolution which is a cooling tower shape, except
that it does not have to be circular on plan. Its shape is defined by


=
1

1
+
2
( )

2
( )
+
1

2
( )
+
1
+
2
( )

[ ]
where

1
and

2
are surface co-ordinates,

,


and

are orthogonal unit

vectors and

,


and

are constants.
It can be shown that the covariant base vectors,

1
=
1

1
+
2
( )
2
2
( )
+ 2
2
( )
+
[ ] and

2
=
1

1
+
2
( )
2
1
( )
2
1
( )
+
[ ] where

=
,
=

.
These results for

1
and

2
do not have to be proved.
Why does this mean that the co-ordinate curves are straight lines?
lso explain why this further means that

11
= 0,

11
2
= 0
,

22
= 0 and

22
1
= 0
where

=
,
and

,
.

is the unit
normal and

are the contravariant base vectors which lie in the tangent plane
to the surface such that

=1 =
= 0
?
?
?
.
!he membrane e"uilibrium e"uations are

+ = 0 and

= 0

where

are the components of membrane stress,

=

+
is the
load per unit area and the covariant derivative,

, +

.
Again these results do not have to be proved.
#how that, in the case of the hyperboloid of one sheet, the e"uilibrium e"uations
reduce to


2
12

12
+ = 0
,

11
,1 +
11
2
11
1
+
12
2
( )
+
12
,2 +
12
3
12
1
+
22
2
( )
+
1
= 0 and

22
,2 +
22
2
22
2
+
12
1
( )
+
12
,1 +
12
3
12
2
+
11
1
( )
+
2
= 0.
!he first e"uation can be used to eliminate

12
from the second two e"uations
leaving three e"uations, each with only one un$nown membrane stress
component. !his means that the hyperboloid of one sheet is statically
determinate if the top is free and the bottom is fixed to a base.