3.

0 THEORY

BACKGROUND

There are two different conditions of pressure loading will be tested : “open end” and “close
ends” . The open end condition can be seen as studying a portion of a long pipeline, while close
end condition can be imagined as looking at an enclosed gas tank that holds a certain amount
of pressure. Using this computerized thin cylinder experiment, will introduce varying amounts of
pressure into the cylinder and utilizing strain gauge readings on the surface of the cylinder to
determine Young’s Modulus €, Poisson’s Ratio (v) and to study the strain Mohr’s Circles of two
different end conditions.

The value of σH and σL may be assumed reasonably constant over the area that is throughout
the wall thickness, and in all subsequent theory the radial stress, which is small, thus will be
ignored. The two principal stresses will be circumferential (hoop) and longitudinal and these,
from elementary theory, will be given by the following equations:

𝑝𝑑
𝜎 H=
2𝑡

(Equation 1)
𝑝𝑑
𝜎 L= 4𝑡

(Equation 2)

Figure 1: Directions of different stresses.

In relation to stress analysis, cylinders are divided into two groups: thick and thin. The distinction
between the two relates to the ratio of internal diameter to wall thickness of a particular cylinder.
A cylinder with a diameter to thickness ratio of more 20 is considered to be thin. A ratio of less
than 20 is considered to be thick. This distinction is made as the analysis of a cylinder can be
simplified by assuming it is thin. The SM1007 cylinder has a ratio of approximately 27, which is
well above the ratio for being considered thin.