Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels

Pressure Vessels:
Pressure vessel is a container used to store and transmit gas and other liquids at a significant
pressure. Pressure vessels are made in different shapes and sizes and are used in diverse
applications. The applications range from air receivers in gasoline stations to nuclear reactors
in submarines to heat exchangers in refineries. Common pressure tanks are usually
constructed either as spheres or cylinders with rounded ends as shown in Fig .1. Cylindrical
or spherical pressure vessels (e.g., hydraulic cylinders, gun barrels, pipes, boilers and tanks)
are commonly used in industry to carry both liquids and gases under pressure. When the
pressure vessel is exposed to this pressure, the material comprising the vessel is subjected to
pressure loading, and hence stresses, from all directions. The normal stresses resulting from
this pressure are functions of the radius of the element under consideration, the shape of the
pressure vessel, thickness of vessel as well as the applied pressure.

Horizontal cylindrical tank Spherical tanks

Vertical cylindrical tanks Pressurized piping

Fig. 1: Pressure vessels with different size and shape

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Thin walled pressure vessel:
A pressure vessel is defined as thin walled when the ratio of the wall thickness to the radius
of the vessel is so small that the distribution of normal stress on a plane perpendicular to the
surface of the vessel is essentially uniform throughout the thickness of the vessel. If the ratio
of inner radius to the wall thickness of a pressure vessel is more than 10, it is called as a thin
walled pressure vessel. A tank or pipe carrying a fluid or gas under a pressure is subjected to
tensile forces, which resist bursting, developed across longitudinal and transverse sections.

Several assumptions are made for thin walled pressure vessels. They are-
(i) Plane sections remain plane
(ii) r/t  10 with t being uniform and constant
(iii) The applied pressure, p, is the gage pressure (note that p is the difference between
the absolute pressure and the atmospheric pressure)
(iv) Material is linear-elastic, isotropic and homogeneous.
(v) Stress distributions throughout the wall thickness will not vary.
(vi) Working fluid has negligible weight.

Tangential Stress or Circumferential Stress or Hoop Stress:

The stresses, which are acted on the circumferential area of a thin cylindrical shell subjected
to internal pressure, are called circumferential stress. We know the result of circumferential
stress the cylinder has a tendency to split up.
Consider the tank shown in Fig. 2 being subjected to an internal pressure p. The length of the
tank is L and the wall thickness is t, and the diameter is D. To derive the equation for
tangential stress (t), isolated the right half of the tank.

Fig. 2

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From Fig. 2(b) we get, F = Intensity of stress × Area = pA = pDL
Resisting force, P = t Awall = t tL
[FV = 0]
 F = 2T
 pDL = 2(t tL)
pD
 t 
2t

Longitudinal Stress or Meridoinal Stress:

The stress, which is acted on longitudinal area of a thin cylindrical shell due to subjected by
internal pressure, is called longitudinal stress.
Consider the free body diagram in the transverse section of the tank as shown in Fig. 3:

Fig. 3

The total force acting at the rear of the tank F must equal to the total longitudinal stress on the
wall = σL Awall. Since t is so small compared to D, the area of the wall is close to πDt

 F  pA  p D 2 and resisting force, P = Stress × Area = L×Dt
4
[FH = 0]
P= F

  L Dt  p D 2
4
pD
 L 
4t
pD 1 pD 1
The tangential stress σL can be written as  L      t  t  2  L
4 t 2 2t 2
It can be observed that the tangential stress is twice that of the longitudinal stress.

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Problem 1:
A water main of 2 meters diameter and 2 cm thick is subjected to an internal pressure of 15
kg/cm2. Calculate the circumferential stress and longitudinal stress induced in the pipe.

Solution:
pD Given that,
a) We know, tangential stress,  t 
2t D = 2 m = 200 cm, t = 2 cm
15  200 p = 15 kg/cm2
  750 kg / cm 2 (Ans.)
22

pd 15  200
And, longitudinal stress,  L    375 kg / cm2 (Ans.)
4t 42

Problem 2:
A cylindrical steel pressure vessel 400 mm in diameter with a wall thickness of 20 mm is
subjected to an internal pressure of 4.5 MN/m2. (a) Calculate the tangential and longitudinal
stresses in the steel. (b) To what value may the internal pressure be developed if the stress in
the steel is limited to 120 MN/m2? (c) If the internal pressure were increased until the vessel
burst, sketch the type of fracture that would occur.

Solution:
pD Given that,
a) We know, tangential stress,  t 
2t D = 400 mm, t = 20 mm, p = 4.5 MN/m2
4.5  ( 400)
  45 MPa (Ans.)
2  ( 20)
pD 4.5  ( 400)
And longitudinal stress,  L    22.5 MPa (Ans.)
4t 4  (20)
pD 2 t t 2  20  120
b) We know, tangential stress,  t   p   12 MPa
2t D 400
pD 4 t L 4  20  120
And longitudinal stress,  L   p   24 MPa
4t D 400
So, critical internal pressure, p = 12 MPa (Ans.)

c) The bursting force will cause a stress on the

longitudinal section that is twice to that of the
transverse section. Thus, fracture is expected as
shown.

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Problem 3:
A gas cylinder is of internal diameter 1.5 meters, 2 cm thick. Find the allowable pressure of
the gas inside the cylinder if the tensile stress in the material is not to exceed 1,000 kg/cm 2.

Solution:
pD Given that,
a) We know, tangential stress,  t 
2t D = 1.5 m = 150 cm, t = 2 cm
p  150 t = L= 1000 kg/cm2
 1,000 
23
 p = 40 kg/cm2 (lowest)
pd p 150
And, longitudinal stress,  L   1,000  p = 80 kg/cm2 (highest)
4t 43
Now, the allowable pressure in the gas cylinder is to be taken the lesser of the two.
 p = 40 kg/cm2. (Ans.)

Problem 4:
Calculate the minimum wall thickness for a cylindrical vessel that is to carry a gas at a
pressure of 1400 psi. The diameter of the vessel is 2 ft, and the stress is limited to 12 ksi.

Solution:
pD Given that,
We know, tangential stress,  t 
2t D = 2 ft = 24 in.,  = 12 ksi
1400  24 p = 1400 psi
 12  1000   t = 1.4 in.
2t
pD 1400  24
Again, longitudinal stress,  L   12  1000   t = 0.7 in.
4t 4t
So, the accepted wall thickness, t = 1.4 in. (Ans.)

Problem 5:
A cylindrical pressure vessel is fabricated from steel plating that has a thickness of 20 mm.
The diameter of the pressure vessel is 450 mm and its length is of 2 m. Determine the
maximum internal pressure that can be applied if the longitudinal stress is limited to 140
MPa, and the circumferential stress is limited to 60 MPa.

Solution:
Given that, t = 20 mm, D = 450 mm, L = 140 MPa, t = 60 MPa

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Based on tangential stress:
pD p  450
We know, tangential stress,  t   60   p = 5.33 MPa
2t 2  20
Based on longitudinal stress:
pD p  450
We have, longitudinal stress,  L   140   p = 24.89 MPa
4t 4  20
So, the allowable internal pressure, p = 5.33 MPa (Ans.)

Problem 6:
A cylindrical water tank of 80 mm dia at a pressure head of 100 m. if the weight of water is
1000 kg/m3, find the tank thickness for permissible tensile strength of material is 200 kg/cm2.

Solution:
We get, p = h = 1×10000 Given that,
= 10000 gm/cm2 = 10 kg/cm2 h = 100 m = 10000 cm, D = 80 mm, t = L = 200 kg/cm2
Based on tangential stress:
pD 10  80
We know, tangential stress,  t   200   t = 2 cm
2t 2t
Based on longitudinal stress:
pD 10  80
We have, longitudinal stress,  L   200   t = 1 cm
4t 4t
So, the allowable thickness, t = 2 cm (Ans.)

Problem 7:
A water tank, 22 ft in diameter, is made from steel plates that are ½ in. thick. Find the
maximum height to which the tank may be filled if the circumferential stress is limited to
6000 psi. The specific weight of water is 62.4 lb/ft3.

Solution:
 p = h = 62.4h Given that,
And, F = pA = 62.4h(Dh) t = ½ in. = ( 12  121 ) ft, D = 22 ft
 F = 62.4(22)h2 = 1372.8h2 t = 6000 psi = 6000 ×122= 864000 lb/ft2
Again we get, T = tAt = 864000×(t×h)
T = 864000 ( 12  121 ) h = 36000h

FH = 0  F = 2T  1372.8h2 = 2(36000h)

 h = 52.45 ft. (Ans.)
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Problem 8:
The strength of longitudinal joint in Fig. 4 is 33 kips/ft, whereas for the girth is 16 kips/ft.
Calculate the maximum diameter of the cylinder tank if the internal pressure is 150 psi.

Fig. 4
Solution:
Based on tangential stress: Given that,
pD 33000
We know, tangential stress,  t  t = 33 kips/ft  lb/ft2
2t t
33000 21600  D 16000
  L = 16 kips/ft  lb/ft2
t 2t t
 D = 3.06 ft. = 36.67 in. p = 150 psi = 150 ×122= 21600 lb/ft2
Based on longitudinal stress:
pD 16000 21600  D
We have, longitudinal stress,  L     D = 2.96 ft. = 35.56 in.
4t t 4t
Use the smaller diameter, D = 35.56 in. (Ans.)

Problem 9:
The tank shown in Fig. 5 is fabricated from 1/8-in steel plate. Calculate the maximum
longitudinal and circumferential stress caused by an internal pressure of 125 psi.

Fig. 5

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Solution:
Longitudinal Stress: Given that,
F = pA = 125[1.5(2) + 14 (1.5)2](12)2 t = 1/8 in., p = 125 psi

F = 85808.62 lbs
P=F
  t [2( 2  12)( 18 )   (1.5  12)( 18 )]  85808.62

 t = 6566.02 psi = 6.57 ksi (Ans.)

Circumferential Stress:
F = pA = 125[212)L+2(0.7512)L] = 5250L lbs
2T = F  2[ t ( 18 ) L]  5250 L

  t  21000 psi = 21 ksi (Ans.)

Problem 10:
A pipe carrying steam at 3.5 MPa has an outside diameter of 450 mm and a wall thickness of
10 mm. A gasket is inserted between the flange at one end of the pipe and a flat plate used to
cap the end. How many 40-mm-diameter bolts must be used to hold the cap on if the
allowable stress in the bolts is 80 MPa, of which 55 MPa is the initial stress? What
circumferential stress is developed in the pipe?

Solution:
We get, F = A Given that,

= 3.5 [ 14 (4302)]= 508270.42 N  = 3.5 MPa, Do = 450 mm, t = 10 mm

Do = 450-2×10 = 430 mm
And, P = F
bolt = (80-55) MPa, Dbolt = 40 mm
 (boltA)n = 508270.42N
 (80-55)[ 14 (402)]n = 508270.42

n = 16.19 say 17 bolts (Ans.)

pD
We know, circumferential stress,  t 
2t
3.5  430
 t   75.25 MPa ( Ans.)
2  10

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Spherical Shell:
Consider a thin spherical shell subjected to an internal pressure p as shown in Fig. 6. The wall
thickness is t, the diameter is D and  be the tensile stress of the shell material.

Fig. 6

 We can see from Fig. 3 that the total pressure along the centre of the sphere,
 2
P = Intensity of stress × Area= p  D
4

p  D2
Total pressure 4 pD
and stress in the shell material,    
Area of resisting section D  t 4t
pD

4t
pD
If  is the efficiency of the joints of the spherical shell, then  
4 t

Problem 11:
The wall thickness of a 4-ft-diameter spherical tank is 5/16 in. Calculate the allowable
internal pressure if the stress is limited to 8000 psi.

Solution:
pD Given that,
We know, stress in the spherical shell,  
4t D = 4 ft = 48 in., t = 5/16 in.
p  ( 48)  = 8000 psi
 8000   p = 208.33 psi (Ans.)
5
4
16

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Problem 12:
Spherical vessel of 3 meters diameter is subjected to an internal pressure of 15 kg/cm2. Find
the thickness of the plate required, if maximum stress is not to exceed 900 kg/cm2. Take
efficiency of the joint as 75%.

Solution
pD Given that,
We know, tensile stress,  
4 t D = 3 m = 300 cm,  = 900 kg/cm2
15  300 p = 15 kg/cm2,  = 75% = 0.75
 900   t = 1.67 cm (Ans.)
4  t  0.75
t=?

Problem 13:
At what angular velocity will the stress of the rotating steel ring equal 150 MPa if its mean
radius is 220 mm? The density of steel is 7.85 Mg/m3.

Solution:
Given that,
 = 150 MPa = 15000000 kg.m/sec2.m2 = 15000000 kg/m.sec2
 = 7.85 Mg/m3 = 7850 kg/m3, R = 220 mm = 0.22 m
From Fig. CF = M2 x
where: M = V = AR and x = 2R/
 CF = AR2(2R/) = 2AR22
But, CF = 2T  2AR22 = 2A
  = R22 150000000 = 7850(0.22)22
  = 628.33 rad/sec (Ans.)

Change in dimensions of a thin cylindrical shall due to an internal pressure:

pd pd
We know the circumferential stress,  t  and the longitudinal stress,  L 
2t 4t
Let, E = Modulus of elasticity and  = Poison’s ratio
D L
We know that, = circumferential strain and = longitudinal strain.
D L
Where, D = diameter of the shell and L = length of the shell
Let, e t = circumferential strain and e L = longitudinal strain

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 t  pD pD pD   
Now, circumferential strain e t   L    1  
E E 2 tE 4 tE 2 tE  2 

L  pD pD pD  1 
and longitudinal strain, e L   t      
E E 4 tE 2 tE 2 tE  2 

Problem 14:
A cylindrical thin drum 80 cm in diameter and 3m long has a shell thickness of 1 cm. If the
drum is subjected to an internal pressure of 25 kg/cm 2, determine change in diameter and
change in length of the drum. Take E = 2 × 106 kg/cm2 and poison’s ratio v  14 .

Solution:
We know, Given that,
pD    D = 80 cm, t = 1 cm, L = 3m = 300 cm
circumferential strain e t  1  
2 tE  2  p = 25 kg/cm2, E = 2 × 106 kg/cm2

 et 
25  80  0.25  v  14 = 0.25
1    0.0004375 cm
2  1  2  106  2 

So, change in diameter, D = e t  D  0.0004375  80  0.035 cm ( Ans.)

pD  1  25  80  1 
Again, longitudinal strain, e L      6 
 0.25  0.000125 cm
2 tE  2  2  1  2  10  2 
So, change in length, L = e L  L  0.000125  300  0.0375 cm ( Ans.)

Change in diameter of a thin spherical shall due to an internal pressure:

Consider a thin spherical shell subjected to an internal pressure ‘p’. Let, E = Modulus of
elasticity,  = Poison’s ratio, diameter of the shell is D, thickness is t,  is the tensile stress of
the shell material, and let strain in one direction is e.
pD   pD pD pD
We have,   e       (1   )
4t E E 4 tE 4 tE 4 tE
pD pD 2
Change in diameter, d  (1  )  D  1   
4 tE 4 tE

Problem 15:
To what depth would a copper spherical float 25 cm in diameter and 0.3 thick have to be sunk
in sea water, in order that its diameter is decreased by 0.003 cm? Given that E for copper =
1.0×106 kg/cm2, Poisson’s ratio = 0.27 and weight of sea water = 1,040 kg/m3.

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Solution:
Let, p = pressure in the shell Given that,
D pD D = 25 cm, t = 0.3 cm, E = 1.0 × 106,  = 0.27
e   (1  )
D 4tE Change in diameter, d = 0.003 cm
0.003 p  25 Weight of sea water,  = 1.040 kg/m3
  (1  0.27)
25 4  0.3 1.0 10 6
3600
p  7.9 kg / cm2  79,000kg / m2
456.2
Let h = depth to which the copper has to be sunk in meter
79,000
We know that, p = h  79,000 = 1,040 × h  h   76 m (Ans.)
1,040

Problem 16:
A welded steel cylindrical drum made of a 10-mm plate has an internal diameter of 1.20 m.
Compute the change in diameter that would be caused by an internal pressure of 1.5 MPa.
Assume that Poisson's ratio is 0.30 and E = 200 GPa.

Solution:
D 1.5(1200)
We get, y = longitudinal stress  
4t 4(10)
 y = 45 MPa
D 1.5(1200)
x = tangential stress  
2t 2(10)
 x = 90 MPa

x y
We know,  x  v
E E
90  45 
 x   3.0   x= 3.82510
4
200000  200000 
D
Again we know,  x   D   x D  (3.825  10 4 ) (1200) = 0.459 mm (Ans.)
D

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