Pressure vessels

External pressure technology

Second edition

Carl T. R Ross

WP
WOODHEAD
PUBLISHING

Oxford Cambridge Philadelphia New Delhi

©CarlT. F. Ross, 2011

 Contents

Author contact details ix

Preface xiii

Acknowledgements xv

Notation xvii

1 An overview of pressure vessels under external

pressure 1

1.1 Pressure vessel types 1

1.2 The spherical pressure vessel 1

1.3 Cylinder/cone/dome pressure hulls 4

1.4 Other vessels that withstand external pressure 7

1.5 Weakening effect on ring-stiffeners owing to tilt 8

1.6 Bulkheads 8
1.7 Materials of construction 9
1.8 Pressure, depth and compressibility 13

2 Axisymmetric deformation of pressure vessels 15

2.1 Axisymmetric yield failure 15
2.2 Unstiffened circular cylinders and spheres 15
2.3 Ring-stiffened circular cylinders 16
2.4 Axisymmetric deformation of thin-walled cones and domes 30
2.5 Thick-walled cones and domes 52
2.6 Ring-stiffeners 77
2.7 Plastic collapse 83
2.8 Experimental procedure 85

2.9 Theoretical plastic analysis 95

2.10 Conclusions 96

3 Shell instability of pressure vessels 100

3.1 Shell instability of thin-walled circular
cylinders 100
3.2 Instability of thin-walled conical shells 111
3.3 Buckling of orthotropic cylinders and cones 117

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3.4 Buckling of thin-walled domes 124

3.5 Boundary conditions 138
3.6 The legs of off-shore drilling rigs 141

3.7 Some buckling formulae for domes and cones 142

3.8 Inelastic instability 144

3.9 Higher order elements for conical shells 151
3.10 Higher order elements for hemi-ellipsoidal domes 159
3.11 Varying thickness cylinders 163

4 General instability of pressure vessels 165

4.1 General instability of ring-stiffened circular cylinders 165
4.2 Inelastic general instability of ring-stiffened circular

cylinders 179
4.3 General instability of ring-stiffened conical shells 184

5 Vibration of pressure vessel shells 192

5.1 Free vibration of unstiffened circular cylinders and cones 192

5.2 Free vibration of ring-stiffened cylinders and cones 201

5.3 Free vibrations of domes 205
5.4 Higher order elements for thin-walled cones 214
5.5 Higher order elements for thin-walled domes 216
5.6 Effects of pressure on vibration 217
5.7 Effects of added virtual mass 220

5.8 Effects of damping 220

6 Vibration of pressure vessel shells in water 221

6.1 Free vibration of ring-stiffened cones in water 221
6.2 Free vibration of domes in water 229
6.3 Vibration of domes under external water pressure 236
6.4 Vibration of unstiffened and ring-stiffened circular

cylinders and cones under external hydrostatic pressure 243

6.5 Effect of tank size 275

7 Novel pressure hull designs 280

7.1 Design of dome ends 280
7.2 Design of cylindrical body 284

7.3 Ring-stiffened or corrugated prolate domes 290

7.4 A submarine for the oceans of Europa 291
7.5 Conclusions 292

8 Vibration and collapse of novel pressure hulls 293

8.1 Buckling of corrugated circular cylinders under
external hydrostatic pressure 293

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 Contents vii

8.2 Buckling of a corrugated carbon-fibre-reinforced

plastic (CFRP) cylinder 303
8.3 Vibration of CFRP corrugated circular cylinder under
external hydrostatic pressure 316
8.4 Vibration and instability of tube-stiffened
axisymmetric
shells under external hydrostatic pressure 324
8.5 Collapse of dome cup ends under external hydrostatic
pressure 334
8.6 A redesign of the corrugated food can 346

9 Design of submarine pressure hulls to withstand

buckling under external hydrostatic pressure 355
9.1 Introduction 355
9.2 The designs 356
9.3 Conclusions 360

10 Nonlinear analyses of model submarine pressure

hulls using AN SYS 361
10.1 Introduction 361
10.2 Experimental analysis 364
10.3 Theoretical analysis 368
10.4 Conclusions 372

11 Star wars underwater: deep-diving underwater

pressure vessels for missile defence systems 375
11.1 Introduction 375
11.2 Thedesign 377

11.3 Manpower and living conditions 379

11.4 Power requirements 380
11.5 Environmental control and life support systems 381
11.6 External requirements 384
11.7 Size of elliptical structure 385
11.8 Central spherical shell 385
11.9 Connecting walkways 385

11.10 Material property requirements 386

11.11 Choice of material 386
11.12 Pressure hull designs 390
11.13 Required wall thickness 390
11.14 Conclusions 391

12 Vibration of a thin-walled shell under external

water pressure using ANSYS 393

12.1 Introduction 393

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12.2 Experimental method 394

12.3 Theoretical basis of the finite element method 395
12.4 Vibration analysis of prolate
a dome in air 399
12.5 Vibration analysis of the prolate dome in water 406
12.6 Vibration analysis of the prolate dome under external
pressure 415
12.7 Conclusions 418

References 419

Appendix I
Computer program for axisymmetric stresses in circular
cylinders stiffened by equal-strength ring frames 428

Appendix II
Computer program for axisymmetric stresses in circular
cylinders stiffened by unequal-strength ring frames 432

Appendix III
Computer programs for shell instability 444

Appendix IV
Computer programs for general instability 448

Appendix V

Conversion tables of imperial units to SI 460

Index 463

©CartT. F. Ross, 2011