The Beneficial Contribution of Realistic Autofrettage to the Load-Carrying Capacity of Thick-Walled Spherical Pressure Vessels

Increased strength-to-weight ratio and extended fatigue life are the main objectives in the optimal design of modern pressure vessels. These two goals can mutually be achieved by creating a proper residual stress field in the vessel’s wall by a process known as autofrettage. Although there are many studies that have investigated the autofrettage problem for cylindrical vessels, only a few of such studies exist for spherical ones. Because of the spherosymmetry of the problem, autofrettage in a spherical pressure vessel is treated as a one-dimensional problem and solved solely in terms of the radial displacement. The mathematical model is based on the idea of solving the elastoplastic autofrettage problem using the form of the elastic solution. Substituting Hooke’s equations into the equilibrium equation and using the strain-displacement relations yield a differential equation, which is a function of the plastic strains. The plastic strains are determined using the Prandtl–Reuss flow rule and the differential equation is solved by the explicit finite difference method. The existing 2D computer program, for the evaluation of hydrostatic autofrettage in a thick-walled cylinder, is adapted to handle the problem of spherical autofrettage. The presently obtained residual stress field is then validated against three existing solutions emphasizing the major role the material law plays in determining the autofrettage residual stress field. The new code is applied to a series of spherical pressure vessels yielding two major conclusions. First, the process of autofrettage increases considerably the maximum safe pressure that can be applied to the vessel. This beneficial effect can also be used to reduce the vessel’s weight rather than to increase the allowable internal pressure. Second, the specific maximum safe pressure increases as the vessel becomes thinner. The present results clearly indicate that autofrettaging of spherical pressure vessels can be very advantageous in various applications.