Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The problem of designing prestress to maximize elastic capacity is treated analytically. Our formulation models structures comprised of a one-material elastic continuum, subject to a single deterministic load configuration.

The equations needed to predict the optimal prestress design are derived. They are shown to comprise necessary and sufficient conditions for global maximum strength in the unconstrained design problem. The theory is demonstrated on the design of prestress for a thick-walled cylinder.