Thin-walled Pressure Vessels

Thin-walled Pressure Vessels

A pressure vessel can be described as thin
walled when the ratio (about 10:1) of the
inside radius to the wall thickness is
sufficiently large so that the distribution of
normal stress in the radial direction is
essentially uniform across the vessel wall
The wall comprising a pressure vessel is
sometimes termed the shell

Spherical Pressure Vessels

If the weights of the gas and vessel are
negligible (a common situation), symmetry of
loading and geometry requires that stresses
must be equal on sections that pass through
the center of the sphere.

Spherical Pressure Vessels

Typical sphere

Free-body diagram

Spherical Pressure Vessels

There are no shear stresses on any of these
planes, since there are no loads to induce
them. The normal stress component in a
sphere is referred to as axial stress and
commonly denoted a .
Stress on spherical vessel

Cylindrical Pressure Vessels

Typical sphere

Cylindrical Pressure Vessels

Free-body diagram exposing long

PICTURE???

Spherical Pressure Vessels

Longitudinal Stress

Cylindrical Pressure Vessels

Free-body diagram exposing hoop

Spherical Pressure Vessels

Tangential or Circumferential Stress

Example 4.1
A standpipe with an inside diameter of 108 in.
contains water, which has a weight density
of 62.4 lb/ft3. The column of water stands 30 ft
above an outlet pipe, which has an outside
diameter of 6.625 in. and an inside diameter of
6.065 in.
Determine the longitudinal and hoop stresses in
the outlet pipe at B.
If the maximum hoop stress in the standpipe at
point must be limited to 2,500 psi, determine
the minimum wall thickness that can be used for
the standpipe.

Example 4.1