SOLID MECHANICS II

BMCG 3113

STRESSES IN
THICK-WALLED PRESSURE VESSEL
 Introduction

• Thick wall refers to a vessel having an inner-radius-to-wall-thickness ratio less than

10.
ri
Thick wall:  10
t

• Example of thick walled applications:

 Gun barrel
 Very high pressure hydraulic cylinder

• For thick wall cylinder, R (radial stress) no longer be neglected.

Thick cylinder

• Consider a thick walled cylinder with internal

pressure Pi and external pressure Po. The
cylinder has inner radius ri and outer radius ro.

• The stress analysis in thick cylinder can be

obtained using Lame’s Equation.

B
R  A (1)
r2
and
B
H  A (2)
r2

where A and B are constant which

may be found using the boundary
conditions.
 Thick cylinder
Boundary conditions
1. Internal and external pressure
at r = ri , R = -pi (pressure being negative sign)
and r = ro , R = -po
subtituting these values to equation (1) and (2), we get:

( p  p )r r pr  p r
2 2 2 2
B  i 2 o 2i o and A  i i 2 o2 o
ro  ri ro  ri
so
pr  p r ( p  p )r r
2 2 2 2
 R  i i 2 o2 o  i2 2 o i 2 o
ro  ri 
r ro  ri  Let the radius ratio ro/ri=k
pi ri  po ro ( pi  po )ri ro
2 2 2 2
H   then
ro  ri
2 2

r 2 ro  ri
2 2
 1   ro 
2
 ri 2 
 R  2  pi 1  2   po k 1  2 
2

k  1   r   r 
1   ro   ri 2 
2
 H  2  pi 1  2   po k 1  2 
2

k  1   r   r 
 Thick cylinder
2. Internal pressure only
If the external pressure is atmospheric only, po= 0

pi ri  ro  pi  ro 
2 2 2
 R  2 2 1  2   2 1  2 
ro  ri  r  k  1  r 
pi ri  ro  pi  ro 
2 2 2
 H  2 2 1  2   2 1  2 
ro  ri  r  k  1  r 

At the inner surface (where r=ri),

R and H each have their maximum magnitude.
R=-pi (radial compressive stress)

r r
2 2
H  o 2 i 2 pi At the outer surface (where r=ro)
ro  ri
k 2 1 2 pi
 2 pi R  0 and H 
k 2 1
ro  ri
2
 Thick cylinder

Stress distribution for H and R

Stress

-1.5pi
-pi
H
internal
pressure 3
1 2
=pi
R
-pi
-1.5pi
 Thick cylinder
Maximum shear stress in the cylinder

Maximum shear stress in the plane of the cross section is

given by,

 H  R
 max 
2
2
pi  ro 
 2  
k 1  r 
 Thick cylinder
Example 1:

Given that:
Pi= 20 MPa
Po= 10 MPa
Ri = 100 mm
Ro= 200 mm

Determine the hoop and radial stress at

radius 150 mm.
 Thick cylinder
Solution 1:
B Boundary condition:
R  A 2 At r = 0.1, R = -20 MPa
r
and

H  A
B At r = 0.2, R = -10 MPa
r2
Therefore, B
 20  A  (1)
(0.1) 2
B
 10  A  (2)
(0.2) 2

Solve the equation (1) and (2) simultaneously, we get: :

A = - 6.7
B = 0.133
 Thick cylinder
Substitute all the value A, B and r into the equation, then:

B
R  A 2
r
0.133
 6.7 
(0.15) 2
= -12.6 MPa

B
H  A 2
r
0.133
 6.7 
(0.15) 2

= -0.79 MPa
 Thick cylinder

Example 2:

The cylinder of a hydraulic jack has a bore (internal diameter)

of 150 mm and is required to operate up to 13.8 MN/m2.
Determine the required wall thickness for a limiting tensile
stress in the material of 41.4 MN/m2.
 Thick cylinder
Solution 2:

The given boundary conditions,

at r = 75x10-3m, R = -13.8 x 106 Pa and H = 41.4 x 106 Pa.

Since the maximum tensile hoop stress occurs at the inner surface.
Therefore,
B
 13.8 x106  A  (1)
(75 x10 3 ) 2
and
B (2)
41.4 x106  A 
(75 x10 3 ) 2

adding the two equations

2A=27.6 x 106
A = 13.8 x 106 and B=154.5
 Thick cylinder
At the outside surface, R =0; therefore:

B
0  A 2
r
154.5 x103
0  13.8 x10 
6

r2
r 2  0.0112 m 2
r = 0.106 m
 Compound Cylinder

• Compound cylinder made from two

cylinders of different size and could be
also from different materials.

• They are used to increased the pressure

that can be obtained in cylinders.

• Method of fabrication:
 Shrinkage
 Force fit
 Compound Cylinder

The assembly (shrink fit)

Compound Cylinder
 Compound Cylinder
Stress distribution
 Compound Cylinder
Stress Calculation
• The method of solution for compound cylinder constructed form similar
material is break the problem down into three separate effects:

(a) shrinkage pressure only on the outside cylinder

(b) shrinkage pressure only on the inside cylinder
(c) internal pressure only on the complete cylinder

• Lame’s equation can be for both inner and outer cylinder.

• For each of resulting load, there are two value knows of the radial
stress.

BC1: shrinkage internal cylinder

At r = ri, R = 0
At r = rc, R = -pc
 Compound Cylinder
BC2: shrinkage external cylinder

At r = rc R = -pc
At r = ro, R = 0
BC3: internal pressure complete cylinder

At r = ri R = -pi
At r = ro, R = 0

• For each condition, the hoop and radial stress at any radius can
be evaluated.

• The various stresses are the combined algebraically to produce

the stress in compound cylinder subjected to both shrinkage and
internal pressure.
 Compound Cylinder

Method of Solution:
 Compound Cylinder

Example 3:

A compound cylinder is formed by shrinkage a tube of 250 mm

internal diameter and 25 mm wall thickness onto another tube
of 250 mm external diameter and 25 mm wall thickness. Both
tubes being made of the same material. The stress set up at
the junction owing to shrinkage is 10 MN/m2. The compound
tube is then subjected to internal pressure of 80 MN/m2.

Determine the hoop stress distribution at outer and inner tube.

 Compound Cylinder

Solution 3:
The solution for compound cylinder constructed form similar material is break
the problem down into three separate effects:

(a) shrinkage pressure only on the outside cylinder

(b) shrinkage pressure only on the inside cylinder
(c) internal pressure only on the complete cylinder

a. Shrinkage only – outer cylinder

The given boundary conditions,
at r = 0.15 m, R = 0 and at r = 0.125m R = -10 x 106 Pa.

B
0  A (1)
(0.15)2
B
 10  A  (2)
(0.125)2
 Compound Cylinder
Solve the equation (1) and (2) simultaneously, we get: :

A = 22.85
B = 0.514
Substitute all the value A, B and r into the hoop stress equation, then:

Hoop stress at r = 0.15 = 45.7 MPa

Hoop stress at r = 0.125 = 55.75 MPa

b. Shrinkage only – inner cylinder

The given boundary conditions,

at r = 0.10 m, R = 0 and at r = 0.125m R = -10 x 106 Pa.

B
0  A (1)
(0.10) 2
B
 10  A  (2)
(0.125)2
 Compound Cylinder

Solve the equation (1) and (2) simultaneously, we get: :

A = -27.8
B = -0.278
Substitute all the value A, B and r into the hoop stress equation, then:

Hoop stress at r = 0.25 = -45.6 MPa

Hoop stress at r = 0.125 = -55.6 MPa

c. Internal pressure only – complete cylinder

The given boundary conditions,
at r = 0.15 m, R = 0 and at r = 0.10 m R = -80 x 106 Pa.
B
0  A (1)
(0.15)2
B
 80  A  (2)
(0.10)2
 Compound Cylinder
Substitute all the value A, B and r into the hoop stress equation, then:

Hoop stress at r = 0.15 = 128.4 MPa

Hoop stress at r = 0.125 = 156.4MPa
Hoop stress at r = 0.10 = 208.2 MPa

d. The resultant hoop stress for combined shrinkage and pressure are then:

Outer cylinder: at r = 0.15, H = 45.7 + 128.4 = 174.1 MPa

at r = 0.125, H = 55.75 + 156.4 = 212.15 MPa

Inner cylinder: at r = 0.125, H = -45.6 + 156.4 = 110.8 MPa

at r = 0.10, H = -55.6 + 208.2 = 152.6 MPa
 Thick cylinder
Exercise 1:

Given that:
Pi= 40 MPa
Po= 20 MPa
Ri = 200 mm
Ro= 400 mm

Determine the hoop and radial stress at radius 300 mm.

Answer [ A=-13.33 x 10^6 , B = 1.07 x 10^6, Hoop
stress= -1.36 MPa , Radial stress = -25.21 MPa]
 Thick cylinder

Exercise 2:

The cylinder of a hydraulic jack has a bore (internal diameter)

of 180 mm and is required to operate up to 15.5 MN/m2.
Determine the required wall thickness for a limiting tensile
stress in the material of 51.6 MN/m2.
 Compound Cylinder

Exercise 3:

A compound cylinder is formed by shrinkage a tube of 260 mm

internal diameter and 28 mm wall thickness onto another tube
of 260 mm external diameter and 28 mm wall thickness. Both
tubes being made of the same material. The stress set up at
the junction owing to shrinkage is 11 MN/m2. The compound
tube is then subjected to internal pressure of 82 MN/m2.

Determine the hoop stress distribution at outer and inner tube.