THICK CYLINDERS

Difference between Thin and Thick Cylinders

Thick Cylinders
 Equilibrium of vertical forces
Example
The piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder exerts an operating force of 10 kN.
The friction due to piston packing and stuffing box is equivalent to 10%
of the operating force. The pressure in the cylinder is 10 MPa. The cylinder
is made of cast iron FG 200 and the factor of safety is 5. Determine the
diameter and the thickness of the cylinder.
Example
The piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder exerts an operating force of 10 kN.
The friction due to piston packing and stuffing box is equivalent to 10%
of the operating force. The pressure in the cylinder is 10 MPa. The cylinder
is made of cast iron FG 200 and the factor of safety is 5. Determine the
diameter and the thickness of the cylinder.
Solution:
Step I: Diameter of cylinder
Lame’s Equation
Step II: Thickness of cylinder
Answer: Diameter = 37.4 mm, Thickness=5.82 mm
Vessel subjected to External Pressure
 Differential Equation
Cylinders with External Pressure…
 Stresses  Inner surface

 Inner surface, r=Di/2

Autofrettage
 Autofrettage is a process of pre-stressing the cylinder before using it
in service.
 It is used in case of high-pressure cylinders and gun barrels.
 When the cylinder is subjected to internal pressure, the circumferential
stress (t) at the inner surface limits the pressure capacity of the
cylinder.
Autofrettage…
 In the pre-stressing process, residual compressive stresses are
developed at the inner surface.
 When the cylinder is loaded in service, the residual compressive
stresses at the inner surface begin to decrease, become
zero and finally become tensile as the pressure is gradually increased.
Methods of Autofrettage
 Compound Cylinder
 Overloading the cylinder
 Winding around the cylinder
Compound Cylinder
 A compound cylinder, consisting of a
cylinder and a jacket is shown in
figure.
 The inner diameter of the jacket is
slightly smaller than the outer
diameter of the cylinder.
 There is a shrinkage pressure P
between the cylinder and the jacket.
 The pressure P tends to contract the
cylinder and expand the jacket
 Cylinder subjected to Internal Pressure
Numerical Example
A high-pressure cylinder consists of a steel tube with inner and outer diameters of 20 and
40 mm respectively. It is jacketed by an outer steel tube, having an outer diameter of 60
mm. The tubes are assembled by a shrinking process in such a way that maximum principal
stress induced in any tube is limited to 100 N/mm2. Calculate the shrinkage pressure and
original dimensions of the tubes (E = 207 kN/mm2).
Solution