An isothermal analogy for thermal stress in shells

For a shell which is subjected to temperature gradients, this paper provides the theory for a set of analogous surface loads for an isothermal model shell. These loads produce deflections in the isothermal model proportional to those in the heated prototype. Model stresses are determined by experiment and translated into prototype stresses. The complete set of model boundary condition equations is presented for orthogonal coordinate boundaries. Examples of a heated plate and cylindrical shell with various boundary conditions demonstrate the theory.