2010 SECTION VIII, DIVISION 2
5-58
b) For SCLs that span a material discontinuity (e.g. base metal with cladding), the SCL should include all
materials and associated loadings. If one of the materials, such as cladding, is neglected for strength
calculations, then only the base metal thickness should be used to calculate the membrane and bending
stresses from the linearized forces and moments across the full section for the evaluation of plastic
collapse.
c) To most accurately determine the linearized membrane and bending stresses for comparison to elastic
stress limits, the following guidelines should be followed. These guidelines can be used as a qualitative
means to evaluate the applicability of different SCLs. Failure to comply with any of these criteria may not
produce valid membrane and/or bending stresses. Application of the limit load or elastic-plastic analysis
methods in Part 5 is recommended for cases where elastic stress analysis and stress linearization may
produce ambiguous results.
1) SCLs should be oriented normal to contour lines of the stress component of highest magnitude.
However, as this may be difficult to implement, similar accuracy can be obtained by orienting the
SCL normal to the mid-surface of the cross section. SCL orientation guidelines are shown in Figure
5.A.3.
2) Hoop and meridional component stress distributions on the SCL should be monotonically increasing
or decreasing, except for the effects of stress concentration or thermal peak stresses, see Figure
5.A.3.b.
3) The distribution of the through-thickness stress should be monotonically increasing or decreasing.
For pressure loading the through-thickness stress should be equal to the compressive pressure on
the applied surface, and approximately zero on the other surface defining the SCL (see Figure
5.A.3.c). When the SCL is not perpendicular to the surfaces, this requirement will not be satisfied.
4) The shear stress distribution should be parabolic and/or the stress should be low relative to the
hoop and meridional stresses. Depending on the type of loading, the shear stress should be
approximately zero on both surfaces defined by the SCL. Guidelines are provided in Figure 5.A.3.d.
i) The shear stress distribution along an SCL will approximate a parabolic distribution only when
the inner and outer surfaces are parallel and the SCL is normal to the surfaces. If the surfaces
are not parallel or an SCL is not normal to the surfaces, the appropriate shear distribution will
not be obtained. However, if the magnitude of shear stress is small as compared to the hoop
or meridional stresses, this orientation criterion can be waived.
ii) When the shear stress distribution is approximately linear, the shear stress is likely to be
significant.
5) For pressure boundary components, the hoop or meridional stresses typically are the largest
magnitude component stresses and are the dominant terms in the equivalent stress. Typically the
hoop or meridional stresses deviate from a monotonically increasing or decreasing trend along an
SCL if the SCL is skewed with respect to the interior, exterior, or mid surfaces. For most pressure
vessel applications, the hoop or meridional stresses due to pressure should be nearly linear.
5.A.4 Stress Integration Method
5.A.4.1 Continuum Elements
5.A.4.1.1 Overview
Stress results derived from a finite element analysis utilizing two-dimensional or three-dimensional continuum
elements may be processed using the stress integration method. Stress components are integrated along
SCLs through the wall thickness to determine the membrane and bending stress components. The peak
stress components can be derived directly using this procedure by subtracting the membrane plus bending
stress distribution from the total stress distribution. Using these components, the equivalent stress shall be
computed per Equation (5.1).