SIMPLE WAY TO FIND THERMAL STRESSES IN SPHERICAL SHELLS.

Hot fluids produce large temperature gradients between the inner and outer walls of pressure vessels, boilers, pipes, and other heat-transfer equipment. The resulting thermal stresses add to those produced by mechanical loads and must be determined to develop a safe structural design. Radial and tangential thermal stresses in a spherical shell, with polar symmetrical temperature distribution, can be determined by rigorous mathematical analysis requiring many complicated calculations. In contrast, the normalized curves presented in this article can be used to find thermal stress components with relatively few computations. The results are accurate enough for preliminary approximations and can be supported by more detailed computer-based stress analysis later in design.