ENME332L SOLID MECHANICS AND MATERIALS LABORATORY Fall 2014

Pre-laboratory Assignment #5: Thin Walled Pressure Vessel

Background:
Pressure vessels are structures that have been engineered to contain gases and liquids under a
fixed pressure. Thin wall pressure vessels are a particular class of containers that have a wall
thickness that is substantially less than the vessel radius. The stress distribution within the walls
of these containers is easily derived using a force balance and the relationships are commonly
available. A thin wall pressure vessel provides the opportunity to further understand how the
state of stress in a structure can be determined using strain gages, as well as to better understand
the relationship between states of stress in actual structures versus theoretical predictions.

For this laboratory, a thin walled pressure vessel has been instrumented with strain gages and
will be subjected to a range of internal pressures. The experimental strain measurements will be
used to determine the corresponding stress distribution using Hookes Law. Stresses calculated
from experimental measurements will then be compared with the stress distribution predicted
using the appropriate analytical relations. Hence, the results from this experiment will be used to
verify if pressure vessel theory can be used with confidence in the design of thin walled pressure
vessels.

Objectives:
The objectives of this laboratory are to use an array of strain gages in multiple locations and
orientations to measure the strain distribution in a thin-walled pressure vessel. The
corresponding state of stress will be compared to theoretical predictions for both open and closed
end configurations, demonstrating the validity and limitations of thin walled pressure vessel
theory and illustrating its application in engineering design.

Questions:
1. Consider a pressure vessel constructed from Al 6063 age hardened aluminum alloy with a
3mm wall thickness, 80mm inner diameter, and 359mm length.
a. Determine if the dimensions of the vessel meet the criteria for being considered a
thin walled pressure vessel.
b. Calculate the state of stress in the wall of the pressure vessel for pressures from 0.5
to 3.5MPa in increments of 0.5MPa for both open-end and closed-end
configurations.
c. Find the principal stresses and directions for a pressure of 3.0MPa. Calculate the
corresponding principal strains.
2. A 0-45-90 strain rosette (gages a, b, and c, respectively, as shown below) is mounted on a
structural member. If the strain readings are as follows, determine the in-plane principal
strains and directions:

a
= 650x10
-6
,
b
= -300x10
-6
,
c
= 480 x 10
-6