Stress and Strain Analysis on Circular Cylinders for Pressure Vessels

May 30, 2016

Cylindrical outlines have established dominance over our chemical and fuel storage installations. These fluid storage vessels are manufactured from gargantuan sheets of rolled steel and formed into circular cylinders with rounded end caps. Exhaustively tested to ensure each rolled edge and welded seam complies with international engineering standards, passive testing procedures assess the pressure vessels for potential microcrystalline defects. Still, as stringent as this testing phase is, it isn't enough to satisfy an in-compliance design and commission grading process, not when the vessel in question will soon be exposed to near unimaginable pressures.

Dynamic Assessment

A dynamic analysis process assesses the circular cylinders and determines whether the unified structure can function safely within its specified application domain. The procedure is based on simple dimensional constants, the area of the metal, thickness, its volumetric capacity, and so on. But the engineering mathematics in play here quickly escalate to accommodate complex variables, including the viscosity of the fluid, all constant-level pressure variable, and any transient spikes present in the processing chain.

Stresses accounted for include:

• Radial stress
• Longitudinal strain
• Hoop pressure
• Transient loads

Theoretically Assessed

As design workshops aren't about to load every product they make with thousands of cubic litres of pressurized fluids, we turn again to the theoretical realm. Engineering equations account for fluid forces while static equilibrium analysis documents the effects of normal stresses. Computer-simulated studies allow engineers to plug in these constants and the countless variables that play out as soon as fluids enter the scene.

Practical Testing Disciplines

Strain gauges are part of the test environment when pressure vessels are assessed, as are pressure detecting instruments and temperature measurement devices. The quantified strain data is employed as a key part of the study, with other data acquisition methods contributing to a comprehensively detailed causal relationship guide, one that gathers all data under the stress and strain analysis umbrella. Once assessed, the data is instantly on hand for comparative studies, cases where identically fabricated pressure vessels can be compared against each other.

As circular cylinders are a composite, a blending of spheres and cylinders, the mathematics used to quantify possible defects can get complicated, but computer simulations simplify much of this work, which leads to a fast and productive commissioning stage. Still, there are many other real world factors to consider, including but not limited to wear, uneven loading, and the heat produced by boilers or other heat exchanging mechanisms.

Contact Details

Fusion - Weld Engineering Pty Ltd
ABN 98 068 987619

1865 Frankston Flinders Road,
Hastings, VIC 3915

Ph: (03) 5909 8218

Optimized by NetwizardSEO.com.au