Question

A spherical vessel with an inside diameter of 2 m is
made of material having an allowable stress in tension
of 500 kg/cm2. The thickness of a shell to withstand a
pressure of 25 kg/cm2 should be:
(1) 5 cm (2) 10 cm
(3) 2.5 cm (4) 1.25 cm

Answer 1

Given:

Diameter = 2 m

Stress = 500 kg/cm²

Pressure = 25 kg/cm²

To find:

The thickness of the shell

Solution:

• We know that, σ = pd / 4t

• Therefore, allowable stress in a spherical pressure vessel is,

        500 = (25 x 200) / 4t

              t = 2.5 cm

• Thus, the thickness of a shell to withstand the pressure is 2.5 cm.