SNS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

DEFORMATION IN
SPHERICAL SHELLS

M.Muneeswaran/Saravanan /Balaji AP/MECH

 Thin Spherical Shell

Area of Application
Thin spherical shells are also utilized in the
formation of pressure vessels or storage
tanks.

These pressure vessels are used for storing liquid or gas under pressure.

A pipe line through which pressurized fluid flows is also treated as pressure
vessel.

Normally these pressure vessels are of spherical shape.

Thin Spherical Shell
Considerations

If the ratio of thickness to inside diameter of the shell is less

than 1/20, then the shell so formed is called THIN Spherical
Shell.

If the wall thickness is less than about 7% of the inner diameter

then the shell may be treated as a THIN Spherical Shell.

Thin walled shells are also used as boiler shells, pressure tanks,
pipes and in other low pressure processing equipment.
Thin Spherical Shells
Considerations and Assumptions
Because of the symmetry of the sphere the stresses set up owing
to internal pressure will be
Two mutually perpendicular hoop /circumferential stresses of equal
value

Radial stress

As with thin cylinders having thickness to diameter ratios less than

1 : 20, the radial stress is assumed negligible in comparison with
the values of hoop stress set up.

The stress system is therefore one of equal biaxial hoop stresses.

Thin Spherical Shells
Stresses in thin Shell
Under the aplication of internal pressure load P the equilibrium of the half-sphere is

Half of a thin sphere subjected to internal pressure showing uniform hoop

stresses acting on a surface element.
Thin Spherical Shells
Hoop Stress
Stress resisting the bursting effect of the applied pressure
Can be most conveniently treated by considering the equilibrium of half
of the sphere as seen in the figure

Hoop stresses acting on any element on the spherical surface.

Total resisting force owing to hoop stress on set up in the cylinder walls
= H x x d x t

Circumferential or Hoop stress H = Pd/4t

Thin Spherical Shells
Strains in thin spherical shells
Thin Spherical Shells
Strains in thin spherical shells
Change in Internal Volume

But,
volumetric strain = sum of three mutually perpendicular strains (in this case all equal)