Limit Load Analysis of Cylindrical Vessels Under Internal Pressure and Axial Strain

Strain-based design is a newer technology used in safety design and integrity management of oil and gas pipelines. In a traditional stress-based design, the axial stress is relatively small compared to the hoop stress generated by internal pressure in a line pipe, and the limit state in the pipeline is usually load-controlled. In a strain-based design, however, axial strain can be large and the load-carrying capacity of pipelines could be reduced significantly below an allowed operating pressure, where the limit state is controlled by an axial strain. In this case, the limit load analysis is of great importance. The present paper confirms that the stress, strain and load-carrying capacity of a thin-walled cylindrical pressure vessel with an axial force are equivalent those of a long pressurized pipeline with an axial tensile strain. Elastic stresses and strains in a pressure vessel are then investigated, and the limit stress, limit strain and limit pressure are obtained in terms of the classical Tresca criterion, von Mises criteria, and a newly proposed average shear stress yield criterion. The results of limit load solutions are analyzed and validated using typical experimental data at plastic yield.