Structural Performance of Acrylic Plastic Plane Disk Windows With Twin Conical Bearing Surfaces

Abstract

Exploratory investigation into the structural performance of acrylic plastic plane disk windows with twin conical bearing surfaces has shown that such windows behave under hydrostatic loading similarly to plane disk windows with a single conical bearing surface. This conclusion is based both on experimental data from a test program and on findings from a finite element stress analysis. The test program encompassed short term and cyclic pressure testing of plane disk windows with twin conical bearing surfaces in the 0.21 ≤ t/Di ≤ 0.423 and 60 deg ≤ α ≤ 120 deg ranges. The finite element stress analysis addressed itself only to plane disk windows with 90 deg twin conical bearing surfaces in the 0.23 ≤ t/Di ≤ 1 range. On the basis of findings reached in this investigation it is recommended that the existing criteria (ANSI/ASME PVHO-1) for the design of plane disk windows with a single bearing surface be applied also in the design of plane disk windows with twin conical bearing surfaces since their structural performance under external hydrostatic loading appears to be very similar.