The specific objective of this paper is to develop external pressure design safety factors that are consistent with theory, test results, and service experience for application in pressure vessel codes. The standard methods of collapse pressure predictions for the buckling of tubes in the elastic and the plastic ranges are briefly reviewed. Test results on tubes made of various materials were collected from the literature and are compared with the corresponding predictions. For thin tubes which buckle in the elastic range, the correlation between the theory and experimentally measured collapse pressure is shown to be poor, justifying the large safety factors used in current design practice. For intermediate and thick tubes which buckle in the plastic range, it is demonstrated that the correlation of test results and theory improves significantly with decreasing radius-to-thickness ratio of the tubes. The range of improved correlation is identified by a material dependent “characteristic ratio” of tube radius and wall thickness. Based on the experimental evidence, a variable safety factor is proposed for inclusion in the ASME Code design charts. A simple formula for the conversion of the present plastic range allowable pressure into the new increased allowable pressure is presented. The consequences of the variable safety factor are discussed with respect to the resulting actual margin of safety, the economic advantages, and the requirements for the development of design rules for the creep range.
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November 1970
This article was originally published in
Journal of Engineering for Industry
Research Papers
Elastoplastic Collapse of Tubes Under External Pressure
E. P. Esztergar
E. P. Esztergar
La Jolla, Calif.
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O. Heise
Messerschmidt A. G., Munich, Germany
E. P. Esztergar
La Jolla, Calif.
J. Eng. Ind. Nov 1970, 92(4): 735-742
Published Online: November 1, 1970
Article history
Received:
June 11, 1970
Online:
July 15, 2010
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Citation
Heise, O., and Esztergar, E. P. (November 1, 1970). "Elastoplastic Collapse of Tubes Under External Pressure." ASME. J. Eng. Ind. November 1970; 92(4): 735–742. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3427839
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Guidebook for the Design of ASME Section VIII Pressure Vessels, Third Edition
Part 2, Section II—Materials and Specifications
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 1, Second Edition
Part 2, Section II—Materials and Specifications
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 1, Third Edition