Limit analysis of spherical pressure vessels with protruding nozzles and associated defects

In order to assess the failure of a structure with a defect it is necessary to obtain both a linear elastic fracture solution and a limit analysis of the structure. In combination these solutions enable the analyst to assess structural integrity. This note deals with the second aspect and investigates the effect of a partial penetration defect on the ductile collapse load of a spherical pressure vessel with a protruding nozzle. A lower bound solution is obtained for defects of varying depth around the intersection of the sphere and the cylinder. Results are presented for a typical geometry and it is found that the solution may be simply represented by three different functions depending on the fractional ligament thickness. (author)