Limit Pressures of Cylindrical and Spherical Shells

Abstract

Tresca limit pressures for long cylindrical shells and complete spherical shells subjected to arbitrary pressure, and several approximations to the exact limit pressures for limited pressure ranges, are derived. The results are compared with those in Section III-Subsection NB and in Section VIII-Division 2 of the ASME B&PV Code. It is found that in Section VIII-Division 2 the formulas agree with the derived limit pressures and their approximations, but that in Section III-Subsection NB the formula for spherical shells is different from the derived approximation to the limit pressure. The length effect on the limit pressure is investigated for cylindrical shells with simply supported ends. A geometric parameter that expresses the length effect is determined. A formula and its limit of validity are derived for an assessment of the length effect on the limit pressures.