( BDA 3033 )

CHAPTER V
THICK CYLINDER
 Lame equation for
 tangential and
 radial stress,
 Graft method,
 Composite cylinder.
 Introduction
 Lame’s Equation
 Thick cylinders are designed to withstand
high internal pressure about 40 to 60 MPa
 A wall is considered thick if it is 1/10 the
cylinder radius or more.
 Presence of radial stress ( no negligence)
 Variable hoop stress
 Complexity involved in contrast to thin
cylinders which has
 Low pressure
 Negligible radial stress and
 Constant hoop stress
 The problem of determining the tangential stress and the radial
stress at any point on a thick walled cylinder, in terms of
applied pressure and the dimensions, was first solved by the
French elastician Gabriel Lame in 1833. His analysis is
commonly known as Lame’s theory
 Hence, in order to address the complexity involved in the thick
cylinders, Lame’s theory is used
 Assumptions made in lame’s theory
(i) the material is homogenous and isotropic
(ii) Plane transverse sections remain plane under the action
of internal pressure.
(iii) The material is stressed within elastic limit as per
Hook’s Law
(iv) All the fibres of the material are stressed independently
without being constrained by the adjacent fibres
 Consider a thick cylinder ( as shown in Figure ). The
stresses acting on an element of unit length at radius
r as shown in the figure.
 The radial stress increasing from r to r+ rdr over
the element thickness dr (all stresses are assumed
tensile)
 d
2

d

For radial equibrium of the element:

 R  d R (r  dr )ddz   R  rd  dz  2( H  dr  dz  sin d )  0

2
 The force balance for equilibrium in the radial direction:
 R  d R (r  dr )ddz   R  rd  dz  2( H  dr  dz  sin d )  0
2
 d 
(r R  rd  R   R dr  d R dr )d   R rd  2 H dr    0 ______(1)
 2 
d  d
( for small angle, sin  )
2 2

Dividing equation (1) by d or neglecting second - order small quantities : 

 R dr  rd  R   H dr  0 ________(2)

Dividing equation (2) by dr and rearrange the equation : -

d R
H R  r ___________(3)
dr
Assuming now that plane section remains plane, i.e the longitudinal strain  L
is constant across the wall of the cylinder, then
1
 z   L   L   R   H   constant ________(eq.4)
E
1
 R   H   L  E L   constant ________(eq. 5)

It is also assumed that the longitudinal stress,  L is constant across the cylinder
walls at points remote from the ends :
 R   H  2 A ( say ) ___________(eq.6)

Substitute  H from eq. 3  into eq. 6  : -

 d R 
 R   R  r   2 A ________(eq.7)
 dr 
Multiplying through by r and rearrangin g : -
d R
2r R  r 2  2 Ar  0 _______(eq.8)
dr
Eq. 8 can be written in the differential equation form : -
d 2
dr
 
r  R  Ar 2  0 _______(eq.9)

Intergrate eq. 9 over r : -

r 2 R  Ar 2  constant   B ( say ) _________(eq.10)
Therefore : 
B
R  A 2
_____________(eq.11)
r
Lame’s Equation
By substituting eq.11 into eq.6 : -
B
H  A _____________(eq.12)
r2
Boundary conditions for thick-walled cylinder

 R   Pi at r  ri
Po
ro  R   Po at r  ro
ri Note: pressure is
Pi
compression
 Constants A and B can be determined from the boundary conditions
r=ri and r=ro
(i ) at r  ri ,  R   Pi
(ii ) at r  ro ,  R   Po
Substituting in equation (11),
we get : -
B
-P i  A  2
ri
B
-P o  A  2
ro
Therefore : 
B B
-P i  P o   2  2
r r P -P 
2 2
ri ro
B  i o2 i 2 o
P i -P o 
B
ri
2

B
ro
2

ro  ri 
 ro 2  ri 2 
 B
 r 2r 2


 i o 
 Then A
B
 Pi
2
ri
r P -P 
2
A  o 2 i 2o  Pi

ro  ri 
2 2 2 2
r P i  ro P o  ro Pi  ri Pi
A o 2

ro  ri
2

2 2
r P r P
A  i 2i o 2 o

ro  ri 
 Substituting the constants
r r P  P 
2 2 2 2
r P r P
R  i 2i o 2 o  i 2 o 2 i 20

ro  ri r ro  ri  
ri ro P i  Po 
2 2 2 2
ri P i  ro Po
H   2 2
2
ro  ri
2

r ro  ri
2
 
Now consider the cross-section of a thick cylinder
with closed ends subjected to an internal pressure
Pi and external pressure Po.
For horizontal equilibrium:-

2 2 2 2
Poro  Piri   L (ro  ri )
2 2
Po ro  Pi ri
L  2 2
ro  ri
Maximum Shear Stress
 H  R
 max 
2

Since H is normally tensile, whilst R is

compressive and both exceed L in magnitude:-

1  B  B 
 max   A  2    A  2 
2  r   r 
B
 max  2
r
The greatest valueof  max thus normally occurs at
the inside radius where r  R1 or inner radius
Case 1: A cylinder subjected to internal pressure.
Pi=P and Po=0
r r P  P 
2 2 2 2
r P r P
R  i 2i o 2 o  i 2 o 2 i 2o

ro  ri r ro  ri   
R 
ri P
2


2
ri ro
2
P 
r
o
2
 ri
2
 
r 2 ro  ri
2 2

2
ri P  ro
2

R  1  2 
r
o
2
 ri
2
 
 r 

2
ri P  ro
2

H  1  2 
r o
2
 ri
2
 
 r 

These equations show that R is always a compressive
stress and H is a tensile stress.
Case 2: A cylinder subjected to external pressure.
Pi=0 and Po=P
ri ro  P 
2 2 2
 ro P
R  
ro
2
 ri
2
  2
r 2 ro  ri
2

ri ro  P 
2 2 2
 ro P
R  
ro
2
 ri
2
  2
r 2 ro  ri
2

2
 ro P  ri 
2
R  1  2 
ro
2
 ri
2
 
 r  
2
 ro P  ri 
2
H  1  2 
r o
2
 ri
2
 
 r  
 A thick cylindrical shell with inner radius 10 cm and outer radius
16 cm is subjected to an internal pressure of 70 MPa. Find the
maximum and minimum hoop stresses
 Given a =10 cm and b = 16 cm
the hoop stress at r=ri=a=10 cm (Maximum at the inner radius) is
2
ri P  ro  0.12  70(106 ) 
2
0.162 
H  1  2   1    159.73MPa
r
o
2
 ri
2
 
 r   2 2 
0.16  0.1  2 
0.1 

 Similarly the hoop stress at r=ro =16 cm is

2
ri P  ro
2
 0.12  70(106 )  0.16 2 
H  1  2  1    89.74MPa
r o
2
 ri
2
 
 r 

2 2 
0.16  0.1  2 
0.16 
Calculate the thickness of metal necessary for a cylindrical shell
of internal radius 160mm to withstand an internal pressure of 25
MPa, if maximum permissible tensile stress is 125 MPa

 Given Pi= P=25 MPa and Maximum hoop stress , i.e., H at r = ri

is 125 MPa.
 Considering Po as zero ( no external pressure) , using the formula
for hoop stress at r=ri
2 2 2
ri P  ro  0.16 2  25(106 )  ro 
H  1  2  1    125MPa
r
o
2
 ri
2
 
 r 
 ro
2
 0. 16 2 
 0. 16 2 

ro  0.18m

So the thickness is b-a = 180-160=20 mm