Bolted flanged connections for non-circular pressure vessels

摘要

The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code contains rules for non-circular pressure vessels of unreinforced and reinforced construction. These rules are given in Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix 13, and cover the sides, reinforcing ribs,and end plates of such vessels. In spite of the importance of bolted flanged connections of non-circular cross section which are used extensively in industry, no design rules for such flanges are available at present.This paper investigates two design methods for non-circular flanges which are presently used by pressure vessel designers and reports on experimental work carried out on rectangular bolted flanged connections.The two design methods discussed are both approximate and have never been correlated with measured values. One is based on an equivalent circular flange and uses all Code formulas for circular flanges. This method may quite safely be used in the caseof square or nearly square rectangular flanges on pressure vessels without reinforced sides. The second method uses a combination of frame analysis for the ability of the flange to retain its rectangular shape, and of bending of a long rectangular flangesection in a plane perpendicular to the frame.Sample calculations using both design methods are compared with experimental values obtained from strain gage measurements on two test pressure vessels.