Comprehensive Evaluation of SCF for Spherical Pressure Vessels Intersected by Radial Cylindrical Nozzles

Based on thin shell theory, closed form expressions of SCF are obtained for pressurized spherical vessel-cylindrical nozzle juncture. These expressions, based on the popular Hetenyi’s analytical solution, can be used to substitute the more conventional graphical form of presentation. To simulate the phenomenon in a more general sense, non-dimensionalized forms of the solutions are reported as functions of the vessel-nozzle geometrical ratios. Illustrations are made on the application of the symbolic expressions so derived to study the location of maximum stresses on the juncture as well as provide an alternative presentation of the SCF plots that are believed to be more accurate and all-encompassing than the conventional ρ-SCF plots. Verification is made using the exact solution and the finite element analysis.