Finite element analysis with experimental verification of concrete anisotropic structures for industrial design under hydrostatic pressure

• The anisotropy of shells influences their deformation compared to regular-shaped shells, with a 15–17% deviation between theoretical and experimental results. • A specially designed experimental setup enabled controlled adjustable hydrostatic pressure across distinct load zones. • Experimental deformation measurements revealed maximum vertical displacements of up to 0.242 mm for the cylindrical shell and 0.78 mm for the spherical shell. • Experimental studies showed a 48% reduction in concrete consumption, 47% in steel reinforcement, and 35% in relative cost compared to traditional reinforced concrete shells. The main goal was to study the stress-strain behaviour of cylindrical and spherical concrete shells. A full-scale experimental setup was developed to simulate uniformly distributed and concentrated loads on cylindrical and spherical shell fragments. Measurements of displacements at 25 points allowed to carry out an accurate analysis of the deformation behaviour. The maximum displacement under a load of 10 kN/m² was 0.242 mm for the cylindrical shell and 0.78 mm for the spherical one. The experimental results were verified using finite element modelling in ANSYS software, which showed a maximum deviation of 15-17% between the theoretical and observed displacements. Compared to traditional reinforced concrete shells, the optimized design provides a 47% decrease in material consumption (reinforcement and concrete), a 50% decline in the equivalent thickness of the structure, and a 35% cut in relative costs. This opens a promising path that provides material efficiency, potential cost savings, and reduces the carbon footprint, supporting sustainable development goals in the construction sector.