Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 February 2009
Following work in an earlier paper, the theory of finite deformation of elastic membranes is applied to the problem of two initially-circular semi-infinite cylindrical membranes of the same radius but of different material, joined longitudinally at a cross-section. The body is inflated by constant interior pressure and is also extended longitudinally. The exact solution found for an arbitrary material is now specialised to the orthotropic case, and the results are interpreted for forms of the strain-energy function introduced by Vaishnav and by How and Clarke in connection with the study of arteries. Also considered in this context is the similar problem where two semi-infinite cylindrical membranes of the same material are separated by a cuff of different material. Numerical solutions are obtained for various pressures and longitudinal extensions. It is shown that discontinuities in the circumferential stress at the joint can be reduced by suitable choice of certain coefficients in the expression defining the strain-energy function. The results obtained here thus solve the problem of static internal pressure loading in extended dissimilar thin orthotropic tubes, and may also be useful in the preliminary study of surgical implants in arteries.