2010 SECTION VIII, DIVISION 2
4-47
4.3 Design Rules For Shells Under Internal Pressure
4.3.1 Scope
4.3.1.1 Paragraph 4.3 provides rules for determining the required wall thickness of cylindrical, conical,
spherical, torispherical, and ellipsoidal shells and heads subject to internal pressure. In this context, internal
pressure is defined as pressure acting on the concave side of the shell.
4.3.1.2 The effects of supplemental loads are not included in design equations for shells and heads
included in paragraphs 4.3.3 to 4.3.7. Supplemental loads shall be defined in the User’s Design Specification
and their effects that result in combined loadings shall be evaluated in a separate analysis performed in
accordance with the methods in paragraph 4.3.10.
4.3.1.3 Rules are provided for the design of cylindrical-to-conical shell transition junctions in paragraphs
4.3.11 and 4.3.12. To facilitate the use of these rules, the shell wall thickness and stiffener configuration, as
applicable, shall be designed using the rules in paragraphs 4.3.3 through 4.3.7. After an initial design is
determined, this design should then be checked and modified as required using the rules of paragraphs
4.3.12 and 4.3.13.
4.3.2 Shell Tolerances
4.3.2.1 The shell of a completed vessel shall satisfy the following requirements.
a) The difference between the maximum and minimum inside diameters at any cross section shall not
exceed 1% of the nominal diameter at the cross section under consideration. The diameters may be
measured on the inside or outside of the vessel. If measured on the outside, the diameters shall be
corrected for the plate thickness at the cross section under consideration.
b) When the cross section passes through an opening or within one inside diameter of the opening
measured from the center of the opening, the permissible difference in inside diameters given above
may be increased by 2% of the inside diameter of the opening. When the cross section passes through
any other location normal to the axis of the vessel, including head-to-shell junctions, the difference in
diameters shall not exceed 1%..
4.3.2.2 Tolerances for formed heads shall satisfy the following requirements.
a) The inner surface of torispherical, toriconical, hemispherical, or ellipsoidal heads shall not deviate
outside of the specified shape by more than 1.25% of
D nor inside the specified shape by more than
0.625% of
D , where D is the nominal inside diameter of the vessel shell at the point of attachment.
Such deviations shall be measured perpendicular to the specified shape and shall not be abrupt. The
knuckle radius shall not be less than that specified
b) Measurements for determining the deviations specified in paragraph 4.3.2.2.a shall be taken from the
surface of the base metal and not from welds.
c) When the straight flange of any unstayed formed head is machined to make a lap joint connection to a
shell, the thickness shall not be reduced to less than 90% of that required for a blank head or the
thickness of the shell at the point of attachment. When so machined, the transition from the machined
thickness to the original thickness of the head shall not be abrupt but shall be tapered for a distance of at
least three times the difference between the thicknesses.
4.3.2.3 Shells that do not meet the tolerance requirements of this paragraph may be evaluated using
paragraph 4.14.