Partially plastic thick-walled

cylinders
G. Catalanotti

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Equation of Lamé and Clapeyron:
• Special case when the external pressure is atmospheric
only: 1,5
1
0,5

stress
0
0 1 2 3 4
-0,5
-1
-1,5
radius, r

sigma_r sigma_theta sigma_r+sigma_theta

• Maximum stresses at the inner surfaces

2
Maximum shear stress in the cylinder:

• Yielding (Tresca):
• At the inner surface:

• Pressure causing the yielding: 3

Methods of containing higher pressure
Issues:
• Failure High pressure at the inner surface

• Corrosion 1,5

1
• Safety 0,5

•…

stress
0
0 1 2 3 4
-0,5

-1

Solutions: -1,5
radius, r

• Compound cylinder sigma_r sigma_theta

• Wire-wound cylinder
• Autofrettaged cylinder 4
Autofrettage
• (high) internal pressure will plasticize
partially the thick wall
• The cylinder may be studied as a
compound cylinder:
i) inner cylinder completely plastic
ii) outer cylinder elastic
• Elastic-plastic interface at radius
• is the internal pressure
• is the pressure at the interface External
cylinder
Internal
cylinder

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Autofrettage
• External (elastic cylinder). From Lamé formula:

• Maximum stresses at

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Autofrettage
• The maximum shear stress reads:

• Yielding onset at the interface. Using Tresca:

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Autofrettage
• Internal pressure by equilibrium:

From Mohr’s circle

Using Tresca yielding

Criterion

Constant of integration to be determined

from appropriate boundary conditions
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Autofrettage
• Boundary conditions:

• Therefore the radial stress reads:

Which gives the radial

distribution of the radial
stress
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Autofrettage
• Determination of the internal pressure :

• Hoop stresses:

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Autofrettage
• Plasticization of the entire wall:

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Little homework….
• Demonstrate that the formula just derived are
equivalent to that found in the formula sheet.

• Familiarise with the formula also studying the

following worked example which step-by-step
solution will be uploaded to CANVAS.

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Autofrettage: residual stress distribution
• Worked example:
A thick-walled steel cylinder has an internal radius of
50mm and an outside radius of 100mm. The steel has a
yield stress in simple tension of 240MPa and it can be
assumed that yielding is according to Tresca Criterion.
Calculate:
The internal pressure to cause yielding to a radius of
70mm
The residual stress distribution when the pressure is
removed
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More info at:
Benham, Crawford, Armstrong, pp:425-428

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