Abstract
Pressure tests were performed on four thin cylindrical aluminium vessels with circular cutouts and cover plates, and on two vessels with radial branches. In all cases a fairly well defined ‘limit pressure’ was observed—corresponding to plastic deformation in the vicinity of the cutout or branch—together with a moderate increase in pressure as deformation proceeded, which may be interpreted as a moderately strong ‘geometry-change effect’.
The limit pressures observed for vessels with cutouts agree well with a lower-bound analysis which is described in outline. In general the observed limit pressures fit in well with those observed by other workers for vessels of different proportions. Correlation of geometry-change effects is not so simple, but a fairly clear picture of trends emerges from the study.
The question of appropriate geometrical parameters for correlation of results is discussed, and a suggestion is made for taking into account any ‘extra’ cross-sectional area at the junction weld.
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