STRESS ON THIN-WALLED VESSEL

(Sample Problem)
PROBLEM # 1:

PROBLEM # 3:

A 300 mm diameter steel pipe 12 mm thick

carries water under a head of 50 m of water. Determine
the stress in the steel.

Given:

Determine the stress at the walls of a 300 mm diameter

pipe, 10 mm thick, under a pressure of 150 m of water and
submerged to a depth of 20 m in salt water.

Solution:

inside dia. of pipe, D

thickness of pipewall, t
pressure head, h

=
=
=

300 mm or 0.3 m
12 mm or 0.012 m
50 m

Solution:

p= pinside poutside
KN
KN
9.81 3 ( 150 m ) 9.81 3 ( 1.03 ) ( 20 m)
m
m
1269.4 KPa or 1.2694 MPa

Tangential Stress:

ST =

pD
=
2t

9.81

KN
( 50 m ) ( 0.3 m)
3
m
2 ( 0.012 m )

KN
6131. 25 2 KPa
m
PROBLEM # 2:
Determine the required thickness of a 450 mm
diameter steel pipe to carry a maximum pressure of
5500 kPa if the allowable working stress of steel is
124 MPa.
Given:
inside dia. of pipe, D
Allowable stress of steel, St
maximum pressure, p

=
=
=

ST =

pD 1.269 MPa ( 0.3 m )

=
=12.69 MPa
2t
2(0.010 m)

PROBLEM # 4:
A wooden storage vat is 6 m in diameter and is filled with 7 m of
oil, s = 0.8. The wood staves are bound by flat steel bands, 50 mm
wide by 6 mm thick, whose allowable tensile stress is 110 MPa.
What is the required spacing of the bands near the bottom of the vat,
neglecting any initial stress?
Solution:

450 mm or 0.45 m
124 MPa
5500 kPa

Solution:
Tangential Stress:

ST =

pD
2t

124 MPa

kPa ( 5500 kPa ) ( 0.45 m )

=
( 1000
1 M Pa )
2t

Allowable tensile stress of hoops,

S t =110 MPa
A h=50 ( 6 )=300 mm2
D=6 m=6000 mm

Cross-sectional area of hoops,

Pipe diameter,
Maximum pressure of the tank (at bottom):

p= 9.81

KN
( 0.8 ) ( 7 m )=54.936 kPa
m3

t=0 . 00998 m9 . 98 mm say 10 mm

PROBLEM # 7:

PROBLEM # 5:
A thin-walled hollow sphere 3.5 m in diameter holds
helium gas at1700 kPa. Determine the minimum wall thickness
of the sphere if its allowable stress is 60 MPa.

A cylindrical container 8 m high and 3 m diameter is reinforced

with two hoops 1 meter from each end. When it is filled with water,
what is the tension in each hoop due to water?

Solution:
Solution:
Wall stress

St =

F= h A
KN 8 m
9.81 3
( 8 m ) ( 3 m)
2
m
941.76 kN

60000 kPa=

)( )

pD
4t

( 1700 kPa ) ( 3500mm )

4t

M top hoop=0

t=24.79 mm

2T 2 ( 6 m) =F

( 133 m)

PROBLEM # 6:

2T 2 ( 6 m) =( 941.76 kN )

A vertical cylindrical tank is 2 meters in diameter and

3 meters high. Its sides are held in position by means of two
steel hoops, one at the top and the other at the bottom. If the
tank is filled with water to a depth of 2.1 m, determine the tensile
stress in each hoop.

T 2 =340.08 KN

M top hoop=0
2T 1 ( 6 m) =F

( 53 m)

2T 1 ( 6 m) =( 941.76 kN )
T 1 =130.8 kN

Substitute F to Eq. 1:

Solution:

M TOP=0
2T 2 (3 m )=F ( 2.3 m)

( 133 m)

T 2 =0.3833 ( 43.26 kN )
16.58 kN (tension at the bottom hoop)

F H =0

2T 2 +2T 1F=0
2 (16.58 kN ) +2T 143.26 kN=0
T 1 =5.05 KN

(tension in the top hoop)

( 53 m)

T 2 =0.3833 F E1
F= h A
KN
9.81 3
m
43.26 kN

( 2 m) ( 2.1 m)
() 2.1m
2 )

PROBLEM # 8:
A cylindrical tank with its axis vertical is 1 meter in diameter and 6 m high. It is held together by two steel hoops, one at the
top and the other at the bottom. Three liquids A, B, and C having sp. Gravity of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 respectively fills this tank each
having a depth of 1.20 m. On the surface of A there is atmospheric pressure. Find the tensile stress in each hoop if each has a
cross-sectional area of 1250 m2 .
Solution:

Moment Arm:

Pressure:

p1=0
p2= p1 + A h A

0+ ( 1.0 ) 9.81

KN
( 1.2 m )
m3

11.77 kPa
p3= p2 + B h B

11.77kPa+ ( 2.0 ) 9.81

KN
( 1.2m )
3
m

35.31 kPa

2
2
4
y 1= ( AB )= ( 1.2 )= 0.8 m
3
3
5
1
1
y 2= ( BC ) + AB= ( 1.2m ) +1.2 m
2
2
1.8 m
2
2
y 3= ( BC ) + AB= ( 1.2 m )+1.2 m
3
3
2m
1
1
y 4 = (CD ) + BC + AB= ( 1.2 m) +1.2 m+ 1.2m
2
2
3m
2
2
y 5= ( CD ) +BC + AB= ( 1.2m ) +1.2 m+1.2
3
3
3.2 m

M A =0

p4 =p 3+ C h c

35.31 kPa+ ( 3.0 ) 9.81

KN
( 1.2 m)
m3

70.63 kPa
Forces acting on the Tank wall:

1
F1= p2 ( AB )( dia . )
2
1
(11.77 kPa ) ( 1.2m ) ( 1m )
2

( 2 T 2 ) ( 3.6 m )=F 1 ( y 1 ) + F 2 ( y 2 ) + F 3 ( y 3 )+ F 4 ( y 4 ) + F 5 ( y 5 )
( 7.2 m) T 2 =7.06 kN ( 0.8 m )+14.12 kN ( 1.8 m )
+14.12 kN ( 2m ) +42.37 kN ( 3 m) +21.19 kN ( 3.2 m )
T 2 =35.31kN
Stress in the bottom hoop:

S 2=

T2
=
A2

35.31 kN
=28248 kPa o r 28.25 Mpa
2
1m
2
1250 mm
1000 mm

F H =0

2T 1 +2T 2=F 1+ F 2 + F 3+ F 4 + F 5
2T 1=7.06 kN +14.12 kN +14.12 kN +42.37 kN

 7.06 kN
F2 =p 2 ( BC ) ( dia. )
( 11.77 kPa ) ( 1.2 m) ( 1 m)
14.12 kN
1
F3 = ( p 3 p2 ) ( BC )( dia . )
2
1
( 35.31kPa11.77 kPa ) ( 1.2 m) ( 1 m)
2
14.12 kN
F 4= p3 ( CD ) ( dia.)
( 35.31 kPa )( 1.2 m )( 1 m )
42.37 kN
1
F5 = ( p 4 p3 ) ( CD ) (dia .)
2
1
(70.63 kPa35.31 kPa )( 1.2 m )( 1 m )
2
21.19 kN