Solution to Problem 133 Pressure Vessel

Problem 133
A cylindrical steel pressure vessel 400 mm in diameter with a wall thickness of 20 mm, is subjected to an internal pressure of 4.5 MN/m2. (a) Calculate the tangential and longitudinal stresses in the steel. (b) To what value may the internal pressure be increased if the stress in the steel is limited to 120 MN/m2? (c) If the internal pressure were increased until the vessel burst, sketch the type of fracture that would occur.
 

Thin-walled Pressure Vessels

A tank or pipe carrying a fluid or gas under a pressure is subjected to tensile forces, which resist bursting, developed across longitudinal and transverse sections.
 

TANGENTIAL STRESS, σt (Circumferential Stress)
Consider the tank shown being subjected to an internal pressure p. The length of the tank is L and the wall thickness is t. Isolating the right half of the tank: