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Each of the four heads is designed to match the 47” ID of the cylindrical shell, but the head thickness
is varied as required to meet the 420 psi design pressure of the cylinder. The results:
Head Thickness [in] Outside Height [in] Volume [US Weight [lbs]
gal]
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13/3/2018 Comparison Between Head Types: Hemi, SE, F&D and Flat – Pressure Vessel Engineering
Four Heads (left to right) Hemispherical, Semi Elliptical, Flanged and Dished and Flat
This 2:1 SE head is made from half of the ellipse, so the head depth is a quarter the diameter –
half the hemi head, but more than the F&D and Flat head. SE heads can be made from a flat plate,
resulting in what is often the most economical head for low pressure vessels.
The SE is not as efficient at handling stresses as the hemi, so the design rules require more
thickness. The ASME code design formulas for a 2:1 SE are very close to that of the cylinder – in this
case resulting in a required thickness of 0.4947” for the SE vs 0.500”.
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13/3/2018 Comparison Between Head Types: Hemi, SE, F&D and Flat – Pressure Vessel Engineering
The flanged and dished head requires more thickness than the matching cylinder, here 0.8901”. Again
a code standard 3:1 transition on the straight flange (Which only needs to be 0.5000”) handles the
difference in thickness. Unless the height is important, a vessel with a pressure as high as this 48”
design would typically use a SE instead.
Flat Head
The hemi head is the most efficient, containing the pressure in pure tension. The other designs
substitute various amounts of bending stresses at lower efficiency to lower the head height and pay for
it in increased weight. This flat head, working purely in bending, pays for it with a massive 3.9120”
thickness. Flat heads are usually reserved for processes that require flat inside surfaces.
Many solutions have been developed to provide flat heads on the inside of the vessels with more
efficient methods of handling the pressure stresses:
Thin flat plate with tie rods or rings connected to the SE or F&D head it is mounted in. The head supports the
load, and the plate provides a flat inside surface.
Pouring a flat concrete floor in SE or F&D heads.
Thin flat plate supported by Exterior beams across the width.
Thin flat plate with stay rods (or tubes) through the length of the vessel to the opposite flat head.
Thin flat plate with diagonal stay rods tied to the shell – often seen in boilers.
Stresses
Cylinder and Hemi Head Tresca Stresses
The ASME VIII-1 code equations used for Cylinders and Hemi heads are easily derived. The ½” thick
cylinder ends up with a stress equal to the code design stress limit of 20,000 psi – actual measured
stresses = 20,484 psi Tresca or Stress Intensity P1-P3. Also the 0.2474” thick hemispherical head
ends up with a stress of 20,364 psi. Both stresses are very close to the target.
Stress Intensity (P1-P3) in a Cylinder and Hemi Head equaling the code design target stresses.
The stress is higher in the discontinuity zone of the head to shell junction (23,060 psi). The VIII-2 code
rules allow for these increases over small distances and provides limits. The VIII-1 rules, beyond the
requirement for a 3:1 taper, ignore these stresses which are known to be acceptable.
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13/3/2018 Comparison Between Head Types: Hemi, SE, F&D and Flat – Pressure Vessel Engineering
Von Mises stress in the cylinder and hemi head – the cylinder stress is now 12% below the VIII-1
code
The von Mises stress results range from equivalent to up to 15% lower than Tresca (P1-P3) results. In
this example the cylinder stresses dropped to 17,740 psi, 12% below Tresca, but the hemi head stress
remains at 20,322 psi. FEA results are required to be done to VIII-2 methods, including the use of
von-Mises stress reporting, however VIII-1 stress equations that are derivable are done to Tresca
methods. Most Canadian reviewers require von-Mises stresses to be used (see ABSA guidelines),
some from Saskatchewan demand Tresca, others von Mises. ASME has been asked to interpret
which stress method should be used for VIII-1 vessels and has refused to answer. This leaves the
designer stuck in the middle. The consensus answer is to use von Mises unless asked to do
otherwise.
VIII-2 has rules for the design of cylinders which match the Tresca stress methods, however, VIII-2
also allows FEA results to replace any design rule.
The designer will get a thinner shell when designing to VIII-2 part 5 than VIII-2 part 4. As FEA
methods from VIII-2 part 5 gradually replace code rules as found in VIII-1 and VIII-2 part 4, reduced
cylindrical thicknesses can be expected. The Hemi heads will not change.
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13/3/2018 Comparison Between Head Types: Hemi, SE, F&D and Flat – Pressure Vessel Engineering
The F&D head, even with its thicker construction, has much higher stress in the knuckle region. It is
common in thinner F&D heads to exceed the VIII-2 allowable stresses in the knuckle. Programs like
Nozzle Pro often cannot calculate nozzles in F&D heads, because the heads fail VIII-2 rules, even
without the added stress of an included nozzle. F&D heads are known to be safe, but if the heads
were invented today, the required thickness for some would be higher. Designers are particularly
cautioned about putting large nozzles in the knuckle region
SE (left) and F&D head – the knuckle stresses are higher, especially in the F&D head
As FEA methods are more commonly used, it can be expected that some F&D head thicknesses (for
large diameter thinner heads) will be higher. SE head designs are not expected to change.
Very low code allowable stresses in the flat head, higher in the shell junction
In this example, both the junction and head stresses are lower than otherwise allowed by the code.
The stress in the head is lower at the edges than the center, leading to the design of heads that taper
at the edges. These heads cannot be designed to standard VIII-1 rules, sometimes leading Canadian
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13/3/2018 Comparison Between Head Types: Hemi, SE, F&D and Flat – Pressure Vessel Engineering
reviewers to insist on the use of fully flat heads, at which point code rules can be applied, and further
once applied considerably heavier heads are required. Insistence on the use of VIII-1 rules where not
expected is unpleasant, but sometimes a fact of life in Canada. As FEA methods become more
common, expect flat head thicknesses to reduce.
Calculation Set
Download the Compress ASME calculation set for the four heads and cylindrical shell.
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