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ExternalPressure

ExternalPressure
File:PVE3473,LastUpdated:July5,2012,By:LaurenceBrundrett

Externalpressure(vacuum)calculationsstartoffmorecomplexthaninternalpressurecalculationsand
oncejacketsorothersourcesofpressureareaddedthedifficultyincreases.Theexternalpressurerating
dependsuponmorevariablesandthefailuremechanismismoredifficulttounderstand.Thisarticleisonly
anintroduction,butitalsocoversmanyoftheareasofexternalpressurethatwerepeatedlyhaveto
explain.Commonmistakesmadewithexternalpressurecalculationsarelisted.
Samplevesselcalculationsareincludedthroughoutthisarticlebasedonavessel48"diameterx96"long
withaFlangedandDished(F&D)headatoneendandaSemiElliptical(SE)headattheother.Asthe
designconditionschange,therequiredshellthicknessisupdated.Internalpressuresarecalculatedat30
psiforcomparison.Downloadthesamplecalculationsattheendofthisarticle.
1TheBasicsFailureMechanisms
Themechanismofexternalpressurefailureisdifferentfrominternalpressurefailure.Differentmethods
arerequiredtodesignvesselstosafelyhandlethisdifferentfailuremechanism.Internalpressurefailure
canbeunderstoodasavesselfailingafterstressesinpartoralargeportionexceedsthematerials
strength.Incontrast,duringexternalpressurefailurethevesselcannolongersupportitsshapeand
suddenly,irreversiblytakesonanewlowervolumeshape.Thefollowing3picturesshowvesselsof
reducedvolumeafterexternalpressurefailure.Theforthpictureshowsaninternalpressurefailurefor
contrast.

Astoragetanktestedcrushedafter
hydrotestwhenaplasticsheet
blockedthetopventduringdraining

http://www.pveng.com/ASME/ASMEComment/ExternalPressure/ExternalPressure.php

Vacuumfailureofabarometric
condenser(vacuumvessel)afterthe
internalsupportringsfailed

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Astoragetanktestedtodestruction
withaninternalvacuum(external
pressure)

Unexpectedinternalpressurefailure
duringhydrotest(causedbypressure
stressandhelpedbyunacceptable
materialproperties)contrastthis
withthemechanismsshownduring
externalpressurefailure

Externalpressurecanbecreated3ways:

1.
2.
3.

Fromavacuuminsideavesselandatmosphericpressureoutside
Fromapressureoutsideavesselgreaterthanatmospheric(typicallyfromsometypes
ofjacketorasurroundingvessel)
Fromacombinationofthefirsttwovacuuminside+pressuregreaterthan
atmosphericoutside.

Twosimpleandunexpectedsourcesofvacuumunloadingavesseloratankthatisnotadequatelyvented
orcoolingdownavesselfilledwithsteamthatcondensestowater.Itisgoodpracticetodesignany
vesselexposedtosteamserviceforfullvacuum,thecooldownratecanbeveryfastoverloadingvacuum
protectionequipment.

Externalpressuregeneratedfromaninternalvacuum
Externalpressurefailurecanbeunderstoodasalossofstability.Thevesselnolongerhastheabilityto
holditsshapeandsuddenlycollapsestoashapewithlessinternalvolume.Goodvideoscanbefoundon
YouTubeseethelinksatthebottomofthisarticle.
ASMEtypepressurevesselsusecoderulestocalculatethesafeexternalpressureload.Thestabilityofa
straightshellunderexternalpressuredependsonfourvariables:

1.
2.
3.
4.

diameter(thelargerthediameter,thelessstable)
length(thelongerthelessstable)
thickness(thethinnerthelessstable)
materialpropertiesaloweryieldpointislessstablefromplasticcollapseanda
lowermodulusofelasticityislessstablefromelasticcollapse.Elasticandplastic
collapsewillnotbediscussedfurtherhere.

Largevesselstypicallyhavelowerexternalthaninternalpressureratings.
ThesefourvariablesareusedinCodeequationswhichcanspecifythethicknessofasafestraightshell.
Similarmethodsareusedtocalculateheads.Nozzlesarecalculatedusingthefamiliarareareplacement
rules.Inadditionwecanuseburst(proof)testingorfiniteelementanalysistocalculatecomponentsnot
coveredbythecoderules.Thecoderulesareonaverageveryconservative,butgreatlysimplifywhat
wouldotherwisebeverydifficultcalculationsthishasbeenagoodtradeoff.Thefiniteelementanalysis
andbursttestingaredonetoausuallylessconservative3xfactorofsafety(SeeASMEVIII1UG101(p))
whereexacttestingoranalysisinformationreplacesgeneralizedcoderules.
2DesigningforExternalPressure
Theeasiestwaytodesignforexternalpressureistomaketheshellthickenoughtomakethevesselstable
withanacceptablefactorofsafety(passcodecalculations).Thelengthofthevesselusedinthe
calculationsincludessomeoftheheadateachend.ThecalculationsarefoundinASMEVIII1UG28.The
shellcalculationsareforacylinderwithsupportedends(theheadsateachend).Calculationsarealso
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givenfortheheadswhicharetreatedasspheres.

Theeffectivelengthofavesselincludessomeofthelengthoftheheads.Theheadiscalculatedasasphere.
(Seethecompanioncalculationsetpart2startingonpage4.)Atypicalvessel48"diameterwithastraight
shell96"longneedsashell0.056"thickforaninternalpressureof30psi,butneedstobe0.225"thickfor
a15psigexternalpressure(fullvacuum)perVIII1UG28.TheF&Dheadontheleftendneedstobe
0.082"thickfortheinteriorpressurebut0.142"forthevacuum.ASEheadneedstobe0.046"thickfor
theinteriorpressurebut0.127"forthevacuum.TheF&DandSEheadsarebothcalculatedasiftheyare
partofasphere,butthetwoheadsaregivendifferentequivalentradiusesresultingindifferentrequired
thicknesses.

4xfactorofsafetyinexternal
pressurebucklinganalysis

4xfactorofsafetythedesign
exceedsthecoderequired3xfactorof
safety

FEAresultsshowthattheshellwillcollapseat4.04xthe15psiappliedpressure.Thisisgreaterthanthe
3xsafetyfactorexpectedinthecodeandshowsthecoderesultstobeacceptable.
3VacuumRings
Insteadofmakingtheshellthickenoughtohandletheexternalpressure,aneconomicalvesselcanoften
bedesignedbyreinforcingtheshell.WhenthereinforcementisasstrongasrequiredbyUG29,the
effectivelengthoftheshellisreducedandthinnershellscanbeused.Inthiscase,L1andL2are
calculatedseparately.Eachzoneindependentlypassesthecodecalculations.TheUG29reinforcing
calculationensuresthatthereinforcingisstrongenoughthatwhateverhappensononesideofithasno
impactontheother.

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Avesseldividedintozonesusingastiffeningring
(Seecompanioncalculationsstartingonpage9.)Thesamplevesselshellreducesinrequiredthickness
from0.225to0.168".Notbadfortheadditionofa0.25x2.5"barrolledthehardway.Moreringscouldbe
addedtolowertherequiredthicknessfurther.Therequiredheadthicknesscouldalsobereducedbyadding
sometypeofreinforcement.VIII1allowsforthis,butprovidesnoguidanceonthedesign.

8.1xfactorofsafetywithathinner
shellandavacuumringadded.

Thecoderulesareexcessively
conservativeinthiscase.

FEAresultsshowthattheshellwillcollapseat8.1xthe15psiappliedpressure.Thisismuchgreaterthan
the3xsafetyfactorexpectedinthecodeandisacceptable.Thevacuumringhassuccessfullyseparated
anyactionononesideoftheringfromaffectingtheotherside.(page13)
4ExternalPressurefromSimpleJackets
Simplejacketsmadefromrollingplateweldedtotheshellatbothendscreatezonesofexternalpressure.
Ifthereisnointernalvacuumthenthelengthusedfortheexternalpressurecalculationisthelengthofthe
jacket.

ExternalpressureLexistsforthelengthofthejacket
(Seecompanioncalculationsstartingpage15.)Ifa24"longjacketat30psiisaddedtotheoutsideofthe
straightshell,thentheexternalpressureof30psineedstobecalculatedforaneffectivelengthof24".The
shellneedstobe0.160"thickunderthejacketperUG28,butcouldbe0.063"elsewhereforthe30psi
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internalpressure(minimumcodeallowedthickness=0.063").

Thejacketringsarenotfunctioningas
vacuumsupportrings(actiononone
sideoftheringisnotisolatedfrom
theotherside)butthefactorofsafety
isacceptableat4.3x.

Thejacketclosureisnotstiffenough
tofunctionasavacuumringthe
jacketseffectsextendbeyondthe
effectivelengthofthejacketbutthe
designisacceptable.

Finiteelementanalysisresultsshowthattheeffectoftheexternalpressureisnotconfinedtothelengthof
thejacket.ThejacketclosureperApp95isnotasstrongasrequiredbyUG29buttheouterjacketshell
addstothestiffnessoftheshell.TheFEAshowsthefactorofsafetyisadequateat4.3xandexperience
indicatesthatthistypeofdesignissafe.
Strongerendringsonthejacketcanisolatetheactioninsidethejacketareafromtherestoftheshell.This
goesaboveandbeyondtheVIII1coderequirementwhichdoesnotrequireUG29onjackets.

Thejacketclosureringisstrongerit
nowmeetsUG29requirements.

Theeffectofthepressureisnow
confinedtothespanofthejacket.
Thefactorofsafetyis5.8x
(Acceptable).

(Seecompanioncalculationsstartingpage17.)Thejacketclosureisnow1"x1.5"andpassesUG29rules
foravacuumring.Actionofthejackethasbeenisolatedwithinthespanofthejacket.Thefactorofsafety
is5.8x.Thislevelofsafetygoesbeyondwhatthecodeandpracticalexperienceindicatesisnecessary.
Thesimplejacketsinthepicturebelowdonotconnecttwoseparatezonesofexternalpressureare
calculated.Asthezonesgetshorter,therequiredthicknesstopassexternalpressurecalculationsis
reduced.SeeFigUG28foradefinitionofLthatshowsthetreatmentofthezonesasseparatelengths.
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Acommonmistakeistoassumethattheexternalpressurehastoapplytothefullvessellengthorthatthe
separatesectionsneedtobetreatedascommon.SeeUG28.

Twounconnectedjackets(perFigUG28)
5HalfPipeJackets
Multipleunconnectedjacketsleadtothecaseofhalfpipejackets.Thelengthoftheexternalpressurehas
beenreducedenoughthatitoftenhasnoimpactonthedesign(butitstillneedstobecalculated).The
codecalculationcouldbebasedonthedimensionLandtheregularcodecalculationsappliedforthe
straightshell,buttherearenocoderulesavailableforthehalfpipeonthehead.AppendixEEcontainsrule
EE2(1)whichprovidesameansofcalculatingtherequiredshellthicknesstohandlethejacketpressure.
Thisprovidesthesamerequiredthicknessfortheshellunderthejacketregardlessofthelocalshapeofthe
vesselitisthesamefortheheadandthestraightshell.

HalfpipejacketsperVIII1AppendixEE
(Seecompanioncalculationsstartingpage22.)IftheshelliscalculatedusingUG28,thenathicknessof
only0.095"isrequired,howevertheseresultscannotbeappliedtothehead.TheappendixEEhalfpipe
calculationrequiresawallthicknessof0.188"(thelowestvalueprovidedforonthecharts)fora3"half
pipejacketpressurizedupto243psionshellorhead.
Acommonmistakewithhalfpipejacketsistoassumethatthevesselhastobedesignedforexternal
pressurethisisonlytrueifthereisanothersourceforexternalpressureotherthanthepressureinthe
halfpipejacket.Theacceptedmethodofcalculatingtherequiredshellthicknessistousetherulesof
appendixEE2.EE2isnotmandatorysoothermethodssuchasUG28,bursttestandfiniteelement
analysisarealsoavailabletothedesigner.
Acommonmistakewithhalfpipejacketsistoassumethatthefullheadofavesselunderthejacketneeds
tobecalculatedforexternalpressure.TheEE2methodisveryusefulbecausenocoderulesexistfora
headthatisonlypartlyexposedtoexternalpressure.
Acommonmistakewithhalfpipejacketsisnottocalculatetherequiredvesselthicknessunderthejacket
toEE2(1)orothermethods.
6StayedSurfacesforExternalPressure
Stayedsurfacesprovidefreedomtothedesignerusingjackets.Nolongerdowecareabouttheshapeof
theobjectunderthejacket,ortheshapeofthejacketitself.Wedonotcarewhethertheshapehas
pressureonaninternal(concave)orexternal(convex)shape.Wedonotcareifthefailuremechanismis
thecrushingtypeofcollapse(external)ortearing(internal).Whatwecareaboutisthedistancebetween
stayrodsarethestayrodsstrongenough,attachedwellenough,andaretheshellandjacketsurfaces
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thickenoughtosupportthespanbetweenstays.

HalfpipejacketsperVIII1AppendixEE
TherulesforstayeddesignarefoundinVIII1UG47andworkthesamewayasthedesignofflatheads
foundinUG34butnowwelookatthedistancebetweenstaysinsteadofthediameterofthehead.
Becausetherulesaredesignedforflatsurfaces(theweakestshapefoundinpressurevessels)theywill
workforanyshapeofvesselorjacket.Thedistinctionbetweenwhatisthevesselandwhatisthejacketis
oftennotimportant.

Thecomplexshapeofthislocomotive
fireboxcanbecalculatedasifitisa
simpleflatplatewithcorrectly
spacedstaysupports

Adimplejacketisaformofstayed
surface

(Seecompanioncalculationsstartingpage25.)Ifourvesselhasajacketsupportedbystaysona6"
spacing,thentherequiredheadorcylindricalshellthicknessis0.164".Thestayshavetobe0.4"dia
TherulesforthedimplejacketarefoundinAppendix17.Theinternal(pressurevesselwall)thicknessis
calculatedper175(b)(1)or(2)modifiedflatplatecalculationsthatcanbeusedforanyshapeofvessel.
Thejacketportionistestedbybursttestandcanbeusedforanyshapeofvessel.Notethatlaserwelded
andinflatedjacketshavespecialrestrictionsregardingthebursttest(lastportionofsection175(a)(2).

Samplelaserweldeddimplejacketpriortoinflation
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Thislaserweldeddimplejacketwillbeinflatedonceitisrolledintotheshapeofashellandweldedtothe
restofthevessel.Theinflationpressurecanbeashighas800psi.Thisinflationpressureishigherthanthe
requiredburstpressureandisfarinexcessofanyallowedexternalpressureforthevessel.Thisonlyworks
becausethepressureinsideadimplejacketisnotanexternalpressure.Thedimplejacketisaformof
stayedjacketthatcanbeanyshape.
Ifourvesselhasadimplejacketwitha6"spacingthentherequiredheadorcylindricalshellthicknessis
0.140inch.(Equation175(2),notincludedinthecalculationset.)
Acommonmistakewithdimplejacketsistoassumethatthevesselhastobedesignedforexternal
pressurethisisonlytrueifthereisanothersourceforexternalpressureotherthanthepressureinthe
jacket.Theacceptedmethodtocalculatetherequiredshellthicknessistousetherulesof175.
Acommonmistakewithdimplejacketsistonotcalculatetherequiredthicknessoftheheadorshellbut
assumingthatitwillbeadequatebecauseitisthickerthanthedimplejacket.Ashellofinadequate
thicknesscanleadtoyieldingunderhydrotestshowingthelocationofthedimpleweldsfrominsidethe
vessel(theinsidesurfaceisnolongersmooth).Thedimplejackethassomestrengthfromitsshapethat
theshelldoesnothave.
7MorethanOneSourceofExternalPressure
Externalpressurecalculationsaremoredifficultwithmorethanonesourceofexternalpressureatypical
exampleisavesselwithaninternalvacuumandpressureinajacket.Thecaseswiththestayrods,half
pipejacketsanddimplejacketsarethesimplestfirstcalculatethecompletevesselforthevacuum
conditionasifthejacketdoesnotexist(seethefirstcasesabove).Nextcalculatetheshellforthelocal
loadsunderthedimple/pipe/stayusingthecombinedP+Vacuum.Finallydesignthejacketforthe
pressureP.

Vacuum+externalpressureonhalfpipe,dimpleandstayedsurfaces
Step1:theexternalpressureisnow15+30=45psi(vacuum+30psijacketpressure).Therequired
thicknessunderthedimplejacketrisesto0.172"(FormulaApp175(2)).Theminimumstayedthickness
isnow0.200"(Page29).Thethicknessunderthehalfpipejacketremainsat0.188",theminimum
thicknessprovidedforintheappendixEEcharts(Page30).
Step2:thewholevesselhastobecalculatedunderthe15psiexternalpressure.Thiswascalculatedback
atpages5,6and7inthecalculationset:TheF&Dhead0.142"thick,theSEhead0.127"thick,the
straightshell0.225"thick.
Step3:themaximumthicknessfromstep1and2aboveisused.Thestraightshellislimitedbythe15psi
externalpressureitneedstobe0.225"thick.TheF&DandSEheadsarelimitedbythehalfpipejackets
foundonthemandneedtobe0.188"thick.
AcommonmistakeistoattempttocalculatetheentirevesselforanexternalpressureofP+V.

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Vacuum+externalpressureonhalfpipe,dimpleandstayedsurfacesVesselstraightshellissupportedbya
UG29stylevacuumring
Therequiredthicknessofthestraightshellfromthevacuumonlyloadcanbereducedbyaddingthe
vacuumstiffeneraspreviouslycalculated.Morestiffenerscanbeaddeduntiltheshellsrequiredthickness
fromvacuumpressureisequaltothatrequiredbythedimple/pipe/staycalculations.
Thestraightshellexternalpressurecalculationwithvacuumringwascalculatedonpage10.Therequired
thickness=0.169"lessthanrequiredunderthedimples,staysorhalfpipejackets.Thoserequired
thicknessesnowgovernandtheshellthicknesscannotbefurtherreducedbyaddingmorevacuumrings.

Halfpipejacket

Thehalfpipejacketincreasesthe
stiffnessoftheshell

Therequiredshellthicknesshasbeencalculatedfortwocases:1)fortheP+Vcaseunderthe
stays/dimples/halfpipesand2)thewholevesselundertheexternalpressurefromthevacuumonly.
However,thevesselisnotthesameastheoriginalvessel.Theexternaljacketsandstaysincreasethe
stiffnessofthevesselitsstrengthagainstexternalpressurecollapsehasincreasedbutcoderulesarenot
providedtodeterminehowmuchstrongeritnowis.RefertointerpretationVIII8147July1,1981file
BC80326:
Question:Whensingleembossed,jacketedassemblies,suchasdescribedinAppendix14,are
usedasshellssubjectedtoexternalpressureloadingontheembossedside,maypropertiesof
theembossedassemblybeconsideredwhendeterminingtherequiredthicknessoftheflatplate
fortheexternalpressure?
Reply:Yes.Thegeometrycoveredbyyourinquiryisnotspecificallycoveredbyanyoftherules
ofDivision1.However,therulesofU2(g)shallapply.
Externalpressurebursttestingorfiniteelementanalysiscouldbeusedtodetermineathinnersafevessel
thicknessthanpossibleusingstandardcodecalculations.ThebursttestorFEAwouldincludethestiffening
effectofthejacket.
8Cones,LinesofSupportandJunctions
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Inadditiontojacketsandvacuumrings,conicaltransitionscanalsoreducetheeffectivelengthofavessel.
Aconicalsectionmustbecalculatedwitheachendofthesectionasalineofsupportinorderforthe
effectivelengthtobereduced.Alineofsupportisdescribeas:

1.
2.
3.
4.

1/3thedepthofaformedhead,excludingconicalheads(FigUG28.1)
avacuumringmeetingUG29
ajacketclosuremeetingAppendix95
aconetocylinderjunctionorheadjunctionthatmeetstherequirementsofAppendix
18

Thegoalofalineofsupportistoeffectivelysegmentthevesselintosectionsthatcanbearthepressure
loadindependentofadjacentcomponents.Whathappensononesideofthelineofsupportdoesnotaffect
theotherside.ThiscanbeseenintheUG29vacuumringexamplebackatthebeginningofthisarticle.
Oneconeactsastwolinesofsupportifeachconeshelljunctionpassestheareareplacementorspecial
analysisrulesofApp18.Theareareplacementrulesworkforconeswithanangleupto30degrees.
Specialanalysisisrequiredover30degrees.

Effectivelengthisnotchangedbytheadditionofaconicalsection
IfaconeisnotcheckedagainstAppendix18theeffectivelengthwillcontinuestraightthroughtheconical
section.Eachadjacentcylinderwillbecalculatedusingthefulleffectivelength,Le(seeillustration).
Morecommonly,eachendoftheconeiscalculatedasalineofsupport.App18providestherulesforarea
replacement.Specialanalysisisrequiredforconeangles>30degrees.Theconeandshellthicknessboth
affectifthejuncturepasses.Alternately,stiffeningringslikevacuumringscanincreasethestiffnessofthe
junctiontomeetcoderules.

Effectivelengthissegmentedattheconejunctions
(Seepage31ofthecompanioncalcs.)Thelefthead,andstraightshellsectionsarecalculatedthesame
wayasbefore.Theconeiscalculatedtopassexternalpressureonitsown(page34),andagainasa
juncturewiththeshells(page36).Becausetheangleoftheconeis45degrees,aspecialanalysisbasedon
Boardman'smethodsaspresentedbyBednarin"PressureVesselDesignHandbook"isused.Thismeets
therequirementsofASME18andtheconeprovidestwolinesofsupport.FEAanalysisverifiesthatthe
methodisacceptable(seepage40).
9UnderstandingStability
Atthebeginningofthisarticle,thefailuremechanismforexternalpressurewasgiven,butnotan
explanationofhowthefailuremechanismworks.Astablesystemisonethatisstrongerthanrequired.
Whenthevesselispushedon,itpushesbackandreturnstoitsoriginalshape.Asexternalpressureis
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addedtothesystem,thevesselhaslessreservestrengthlefttopushback.Eventuallythevesselreaches
apointwhereithasverylittlereservestrength.Youpushonthewallofthevesselanditcannotpush
back.Atthispointthevesselcanchangeshapetoasmallervolumeconfiguration.Thechangeissudden
andirreversibleandifyouwatchtheYouTubevideos,veryscary.
Alternately,onecanvisualizealongpolemountedintheground.Whenthepoleispushedonfromthe
side,itbends.Oncetheloadisremoved,itbendsback.Asmallweightcanbeplacedontopofthepole.
Thepolestayscentereduntilitispushed,andreturnsbacktocenteroncethesidewaysforceisremoved.
However,astheweightonthetopofthepoleisincreased,thepolelosesitsabilitytopushbackagainst
thesidewaysforce.Atacriticalweight,thepolehasnoadditionalstrength,andaflylandingontopcauses
ittotopplewithoutanysidewaysforce.Thefailureisirreversibleandsudden.Theweightontopofthe
poleissimilartotheexternalpressureontheoutsideofapressurevessel.
Becausetheexactcalculationofthecriticalexternalpressureonavesselisdifficult,weseta3xfactorof
safety,higherthanmanyothersafetyfactorsinpressurevessels.Thecodeaimsfora3xfactorofsafety,
sometimescalculatinghigh,sometimeslow.Lessconservativeapproacheswouldrequiremoreexact
calculations,suchasprovidedbyFEA,butatthecostofextraengineeringeffort.
YouTubevideos:
Bucklingofa
submarine

Collapseofacylinder
Acylinderimploding
underinternal
vacuum,equivalent
toexternalpressure.

Thisverybriefvideo
showstheFEA
animatedcollapseofasubmarine
hull

Collapseofarailtank
Thisiconicvideo
showsvacuum
collapseofarailway
transporttanker.

55gallondrum
Howtocollapsea
storagedrumwith
thehelpof
condensingsteam.

CollapsingCokeCan

CollapsedWagon

Condensingsteam
againusedtocreate
avacuum.

Alookatavacuum
collapsedhoney
wagon.

OtherWebsites:
ShellBuckling
Anextensivephotographiclibraryofshellbucklingfailuresandmechanismsalongwith
explanationsofthefailuremechanism.
RiceUniversity
J.EdAkinatRiceUniversity,Houston,Texashaswrittenaveryreadablebookonusing
SolidWorkstodoFiniteElementAnalysis(FEA).Chapter12coversbucklinganalysis
withoutgettinglostinmath.Theapproachusedwouldbeofinteresteventopeoplenot
doingFEA.ThislinkdownloadsapdfversionofthebookfromRiceUniversity,itisalsoavailableat
Amazon.
CompanionCalculationSet(pdfformat):

CalculationSet
2015PressureVesselEngineeringLtd.

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