Department of Mechanical Engineering

TY.: 2021-22 Semester 2

ME3276 – Mechanical System Design
Practical 1

Design of cylinders and pressure vessels

Name – Chhavi Kumari

Division – A
Batch – B2
Roll No. – 52
GR No. - 11910987
Batch Instructor – Prof. Nishant Kulkarni

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Aim:

To design a Cylinder/ pressure vessel for a reciprocating compressor

Introduction:

Cylindrical pressure vessels are divided into two groups—thin and thick cylinders. A cylinder is
considered thin when the ratio of its inner diameter to the wall thickness is more than 15. Boiler
shells, pipes, tubes, and storage tanks are treated as thin cylinders. When the ratio of the inner
diameter of the cylinder to the wall thickness is less than 15, the cylinder is called a ‘thick-
walled’ cylinder or simply ‘thick’ cylinder. Hydraulic cylinders, high-pressure pipes and gun
barrels are examples of thick cylinders. There are a number of equations for the design of thick
cylinders. The choice of equation depends upon two parameters—cylinder material (whether
brittle or ductile) and condition of cylinder ends (open or closed).

When the material of the cylinder is brittle, such as cast iron or cast steel, Lame’s equation is
used to determine the wall thickness. It is based on the maximum principal stress theory of
failure, where maximum principal stress is equated to permissible stress for the material.
When the material of the cylinder is ductile, such as mild steel or alloy steel, maximum strain
theory of failure is used as a criterion to indicate failure. This theory is also called St Venant’s
theory.

Theory:
 An air receiver, sometimes referred to as a compressed air tank, is an integral part of any
compressed air system.
 The main purpose of this is to act as temporary storage to accommodate the peaks of demand
from the system and to optimize the running efficiency of plant. 

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What does an air receiver tank do?
 Dampens pulsations
 Serves as an air reservoir to take care of
sudden or unusually heavy demands for air.
 Prevents the excessive cycling of a
compressor.
 Knocks out solid dirt and particulate matter.
 Precipitates out contaminants and oil carry-
over
 Helps cool the compressed air

Plain Carbon Steel

 Why Plain Carbon Steel?

 Carbon steel provides several advantages as a pressure vessel material.
 In addition to being highly resistant to corrosion, shock, and vibration, it possesses a high
tensile strength making it ideal for demanding tank applications in a wide range of industrial
processes.
 It also retains strength at minimal thicknesses, which reduces the amount of material needed
for tank fabrication, thereby lowering fabrication costs.
 In fact, approximately 50% of its production comes from reclaimed materials.

Calculation:
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2∗Pi
D i=( )
3.14

L=2∗Di

σ t=σ ut / Pi

t=Pi∗D i /(2∗σ t )

Pi = internal pressure (N/mm2)

Di = internal diameter of cylinder (mm)
t = cylinder wall thickness (mm)
(st) = permissible tensile stress (N/mm2)

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Results:

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Conclusion:

 Ultimate tensile strength of the cylinder is 390N/mm2 as it is made from plain carbon
steel.
 The dimensions of the cylinder tank are calculated through the given volume and
pressure.
 The total weight is also calculated through the dimensions.

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