Chapter 4

Analysis of thin-walled pressure

vessels

Thin-walled pressure vessels are those vessels whose wall thickness is less than or equal
to one tenth of the vessel radius. The distribution of stress across the vessel thickness in
this case is assumed to be uniform.
They are made of metal and used generally in engineering as storage containers for liquid,
powder, gas etc. Stresses will arise due to, say uniform internal liquid or gas pressure,
eg. in steam boilers, or pressure due to weight of substances contained.

4.1 Stresses in a thin-walled cylinders

When a thin cylinder is subjected subjected to an internal pressure, stresses are induced,

• on the longitudinal section XX due to the force tending to separate the top and
bottom halves. This stress is called the circumferential or hoop stress

• on the circumferential section Y Y due to the force tending to separate the right
and left ends of the cylinder. This stress is called the longitudinal stress.

Let the internal diameter and length of the cylinder be d and l respectively, the thickness
be t and the internal pressure be p.

4.1.1 Circumferential (Hoop) stress

Consider figure below,

The force tending to separate the top and bottom halves is the pressure multiplied by the
projected area in a direction perpendicular to the diametral plane, that is PC = p × dl.

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 Y

σL

Y
X X σL σθ σL
σθ

σθ

Figure 4.1:

p l

X
X σθ
t d

Figure 4.2:

This force is resisted by the stress acting in the longitudinal section XX (σθ ). Therefore,

p × dl = (σθ × tl) × 2
pd pr
σθ = = (4.1)
2t t

4.1.2 Longitudinal stress

Consider figure below,

The force tending to separate the right and left hand halves is the pressure times the
2
area of one end, that is PL = p × πd4 . This force is resisted by the stress acting on the
circumferential section Y Y (σl ). Therefore,

πd2
p× = σl × πdt
4

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 Y

PL
d p

t
Y

Figure 4.3:

pd pr
σl = = (4.2)
4t 2t

4.1.3 Circumferential and Longitudinal strains in a thin walled

cylinder

The hoop and longitudinal stresses can be considered as bi-axial stress system. Therefore,
Hoop strain (θ );
1
θ = (σθ − νσl )
E
1  pr pr 
= −ν
E t 2t
pr ν
= 1− (4.3)
Et 2

Longitudinal strain (l );

1
l = (σl − νσθ )
E
1  pr pr 
= −ν
E 2t t
pr  1 
= −ν (4.4)
Et 2

4.1.4 Volumetric strain in a thin-walled cylinder

When a thin-walled cylinder is exposed to internal pressure, it will experience a change

in dimension θ r and l l in the circumferential and longitudinal directions respectively.
Let the initial volume of the cylinder be Vo = πr2 l, and the final volume of the cylinder
be Vf = π(r + θ r)2 (l + l l). Therefore the volumetric strain (v ) is,

Vf − Vo
v =
Vo

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 π(r + θ r)2 (l + l l) − πr2 l
=
πr2 l
πr l(1 + θ )2 (1 + l ) − πr2 l
2
=
πr2 l
2
= (1 + θ ) (1 + l ) − 1
= (1 + 2θ + 2θ )(1 + l ) − 1
= 1 + l + 2θ + 2θ l + 2θ + 2θ l − 1
= l + 2θ
pr  1  2pr  ν
= −ν + 1−
Et h 2 Et i 2
pr
= 0.5 − ν + 2 − ν
Et h
pr i
= 2.5 − 2ν (4.5)
Et

4.2 Stresses in a thin-walled sphere

Let the internal diameter be d, the thickness of metal be t and the internal pressure be p.
The force tending to separate the two halves on a section XX is the pressure multiplied
2
by the projected area in the direction perpendicular to XX, that is P = p × πd4

σθ

σθ
σθ
X d t X
σθ σθ
σθ
p

Figure 4.4:

Therefore,

πd2
p× = σθ × πdt
4
pd pr
σθ = = (4.6)
4t 2t

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From the symmetry of the spherical shape, we obtain the same equation for the tensile
stresses when we cut though the center of the sphere in any direction whatsoever. Thus
we reach the following conclusion: A pressurized sphere is subjected to uniform tensile
stresses σθ in all directions. This is represented in figure 4.4(b) by the small stress
element with stresses σθ acting in mutually perpendicular directions.
The normal strain in a thin walled sphere is,
1
θ = (σθ − νσθ )
E
σθ
= (1 − ν)
E
pr
= (1 − ν) (4.7)
2Et

4.2.1 Volumetric strain in a thin-walled sphere

On application of internal pressure, the sphere radius will change by θ r.

Let the initial volume of the sphere be Vo = 43 πr3 , and the final volume of the sphere be
Vf = 34 π(r + θ r)3 . Therefore the volumetric strain (v ) is,
Vf − Vo
v =
Vo
4
π(r + θ r)3 − 34 πr3
= 3 4
3
πr3
= (1 + θ )3 − 1
= 1 + 3θ + 32θ + 3θ
= 3θ
3pr
= (1 − ν) (4.8)
2tE

Examples 4.1
A compressed air tank having an inner diameter of 450mm and a wall thickness of 7mm
is formed by welding two steel hemispheres.

(a) If the allowable tensile stress in the steel is 115M P a, what is the maximum permis-
sible air pressure pall in the tank?
(b) If the normal strain at the outer surface of the tank is not to exceed 0.0003 what is
the maximum permissible air pressure pall in the tank? Assume that Hooke’s law
is valid and that E = 210GP a and Poisson’s ratio for steel is ν = 0.28.

Solution: (a) From equation 4.6, the allowable pressure is,

2tσall
pall =
r
2 × 0.007 × 115 × 106
= = 7.16 × 106 P a
0.225
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(b) From equation 4.7, the allowable pressure is,
2tEall
pall =
r(1 − ν)
2 × 0.007 × 210 × 109 × 0.0003
= = 5.44 × 106 P a
0.225(1 − 0.28)

Examples 4.2
A strain gauge is installed in the longitudinal direction on the surface of a cylindrical
aluminium beer can. The radius-to-thickness ratio of the can is 200. When the lid of
the can is popped open, the strain changes by  = 170µm/m. What was the internal
pressure p in the can? Assume E = 70GP a and ν = 0.33.
Solution: The longitudinal strain for a thin walled cylinder is given by equation 4.4,
therefore,
EtL
p =
r(1 − ν)
70 × 109 × 170 × 10−6
= = 0.35 × 106 P a
200(1 − 0.33)

Examples 4.3
A thin spherical steel vessel is made up of two hemispherical portions bolted together
at flanges. The inner diameter of the sphere is 300mm and the wall thickness is 6mm.
Assuming that the vessel is a homogeneous sphere, calculate the maximum working
pressure for an allowable tensile stress in the shell of 150M P a. If twenty bolts of 16mm
diameter are used to hold the flanges together, what is the tensile stress in each bolt
when the sphere is under full pressure.
Solution: From equation 4.6, the allowable working pressure is,
2tσall
pall =
r
2 × 0.006 × 150 × 106
= = 12.0 × 106 P a
0.15
The force tending to separate the two halves is,
πd2
F = p×
4
12 × 106 × π × 0.32
= = 848.23kN
4
Force per bolt,
848.23
Fb = = 42.41kN
20
Tensile stress per bolt,
42.41 × 103
σb = π 2
= 210.9 × 106 P a
4
× 0.016

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Chapter 5

Torsion

One of the common modes of deformation in engineering is that of torsion in which a

member is exposed to a torque about its longitudinal axis resulting in twisting deforma-
tion.
A design analysis in twisting deformation is required in order to estimate the shear stress
distribution and angular twist deformations.
When a shaft, either solid or hollow is subjected to pure torque (not accompanied by
bending or axial thrust) loading at its end(s), it experiences pure twisting and thus pure
shear stress.
The following assumptions are made when developing stress and strain solutions for a
shaft under pure torque loading,

• The shaft is straight.

• The cross sectional area is constant over the shaft length.

• Plane sections remain plane even after twisting.

• Radii remain straight during twisting.

• Torque is constant over the shaft length.

• Deformation is by relative rotation of adjoining planes.

• The material is homogeneous, elastic and obeys Hooke’s law, ie. the shear stress
at any point is proportional to the shear strain at that point

5.1 Shear stress due to twisting

The shearing stress induced in the shaft produces a moment of resistance, equal and
opposite to the applied torque.

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