The contact stress analysis of plate and shell structures in pressure vessels

This study introduces the concept of contact stresses into an analysis of the local stresses in calculations relating to plate and shell structures in pressure vessels. A new computational method for local stresses is proposed in the light of the contact between pad and shell and the compatibility at the pad edges due to the fillet weld. Using the developed program of the contact stress analysis of plates and shells, which is based on the flexibility mixed FEM, the authors have studied the contact features of a pad structure under a concentrated load. Contact stress analyses of a saddle support model and a suspended tower structure have been made, which could not have been achieved with previous methods. The theoretical calculations showed reasonable agreement with the experimental results. (author)