ELASTIC-PLASTIC STRESS ANALYSIS OF PRESSURE VESSELS

To save material, the safety factor of pressure vessel design standards is gradually decreased from 5.0 to 2.4 in ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes. So the design methods of pressure vessel should be more rationalized. Considering effects of material strain hardening and non-linear structural deformation, the elastic-plastic stress analysis is the most suitable for pressure vessels design at present. This paper is based on elastic-plastic theory and considers material strain hardening and structural deformation effects. Elastic-plastic stress analyses of pressure vessels are summarized. Firstly, expressions of load and structural deformation relationship were introduced for thin-walled cylindrical and spherical vessels under internal pressure. Secondly, the plastic instability for thin-walled cylindrical and spherical vessels under internal pressure were analysed Thirdly, to prevent pressure vessels from local failure, the ductile fracture strain of materials was discussed.