Pressure Vessel Transition Joint for Thin Flange Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure vessels face increased manufacturing costs due to the need for thicker shell flanges to distribute fastening loads evenly, which can lead to excessive stress on corners and edges where the shell and flange have different cross-sectional shapes.
Innovation Solution
A pressure vessel design that incorporates a connecting member between the pressure vessel body and the body flange, allowing the body flange to be fastened without directly mounting the pressure vessel body, thereby reducing the fastening load and enabling a thinner, less costly flange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shell flange is made thicker to distribute fastening loads evenly, then the structural strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
A connecting member is introduced as an intermediary component between the pressure vessel body and the body flange. This connecting member has a body-flange connected portion with a circular cross-section that interfaces with the flange, and a pressure-vessel-body connected portion with a rectangular cross-section that interfaces with the pressure vessel body. The connecting member acts as a mediator that transfers fastening loads from the circular flange to the rectangular pressure vessel body through its connecting portion, eliminating the need for direct mounting and allowing the use of thinner, standard-specification flanges.
2Reliability
If the shell flange is made thicker to reduce excessive load on corners and edges, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is segmented into three distinct portions: the body-flange connected portion (circular cross-section), the connecting portion (transition section), and the pressure-vessel-body connected portion (rectangular cross-section). This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function - the circular portion interfaces with the standard flange, the transition portion manages the shape change and load distribution, and the rectangular portion interfaces with the pressure vessel body. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability through proper load distribution while avoiding the need for a single complex thick flange design.
3Device complexity
If the pressure vessel body is directly mounted to the body flange, then the device complexity is reduced, but the fastening load becomes excessive on the pressure vessel body
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting member serves as an intermediary that prevents direct mounting of the pressure vessel body to the body flange. It absorbs and distributes the fastening loads through its connecting portion, which is designed to handle the transition from the circular flange interface to the rectangular pressure vessel body interface. This intermediary approach reduces the fastening load on the pressure vessel body corners and edges while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure vessel (10) includes a pressure vessel body (12) provided with a flow channel through which a fluid is caused to flow, having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and formed to extend in a direction of flow of the fluid, a body flange (14) provided at at least one end side of the pressure vessel body (12) in a longitudinal direction and having a circular cross-sectional shape, and a connecting member (22) connecting the pressure vessel body (12) and the body flange (14) to each other, and the connecting member (22) has a body-flange connected portion (24) connected to the body flange (14), having a circular cross-sectional shape, and formed in a cylindrical shape, a pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) connected to the pressure vessel body (12), being larger in outer shape than the body-flange connected portion (24), and formed in a cylindrical shape, and a connecting portion (28) connecting the body-flange connected portion (24) and the pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) to each other and formed in a cylindrical shape with a shape changing to be gradually smaller from the pressure-vessel-body connected portion (26) toward the body-flange connected portion (24).