6/20/2018 Theory | C6.

1 Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels | Solid Mechanics I

Solid Mechanics I
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C6: Combined Loadings (http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C6-combined-loadings/overview)
 6.1 Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels
- Theory (http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C6-combined-loadings/C6.1-thinwalled-pressure-
vessels/theory)
- Example (http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C6-combined-loadings/C6.1-thinwalled-pressure-
vessels/example)
- Question 1 (http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C6-combined-loadings/C6.1-thinwalled-pressure-
vessels/question1)
 6.2 Stress From Combined Loadings

C6.1 Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels

Pressure vessels are all too common in our lives: oil tankers, storage tanks, nitrogen tanks for coolants, you name it. Since its so
commonly used, we need to understand the stresses acting in it to equip ourselves in designing safe pressure vessels

The thin-walled pressure vessel analysis is formulated based on the assumption that the vessels fulfil the criteria r/t ≤ 10 , i.e. the vessel is
su iciently thin with respect to its radius.
Here we look at the 2 most common types of vessels:

a) Cylindrical vessels
b) Spherical vessels

Cylindrical vessels

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6/20/2018 Theory | C6.1 Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels | Solid Mechanics I

Let’s look at a cylindrical vessel. If we consider a tiny element on the vessel’s shell, we can split the stress into the components acting in
the longitudinal (axial) direction and the hoop or circumferential direction .
To give you a better understanding on how these stresses act, we dissect the vessel:

Now that we know the stress components, let’s look at the formula to calculate these:

Note:
p is the pressure in the cylindrical vessel (units: Pa or MPa)
r is the internal radius of the vessel (units: m or mm)
t is the thickness of the vessel (units: m or mm)
σlong and σhoop are always +ve if the pressure acts from inside the vessel, and is –ve if p acts from outside the vessel.
If the cylinder is open-ended, σ long = 0 ; since there are no “caps” resisting the pressure, there will be no “pull” in the longitudinal
direction and so σ long = 0 .

Spherical vessels

For a spherical vessel, the curvature is constant throughout the entire sphere and therefore σ long and σ hoop are the same.

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6/20/2018 Theory | C6.1 Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels | Solid Mechanics I

Radial stress
The 3rd stress component in pressure vessels is the radial stress. It is basically the normal stress acting in the radial direction due to the
pressure. It’s the same as you using your palm to press against the wall: you feel the compressive e ect from the normal stress.

The exact theory for the radial stress distribution is complex, but we estimate it as:

Let’s look at an example (http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C6-combined-loadings/C6.1-thinwalled-pressure-

vessels/example) now.

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