Stresses in Large Horizontal Cylindrical

Pressure Vessels on Two Saddle Supports

Original paper published in September 1951 "THE WELDING JOURNAL RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT." This paper
contains revisions and additions to the original paper based upon questions raised as to intent and coverage.

Approximate stresses that exist in cylindrical vessels supported on two saddles at

various conditions and design of stiffening for vessels which require it

by L. P. Zick
INTRODUCTION
The design of horizontal cylindrical vessels with dished
heads to resist internal pressure is covered by existing
codes. However, the method of support is left pretty
much up to the designer. In general the cylindrical shell
is made a uniform thickness which is determined by the
maximum circumferential stress due to the internal
pressure. Since the longitudinal stress is only one-half of
this circumferential stress, these vessels have available a
beam strength which makes the two-saddle support
system ideal for a wide range of proportions. However,
certain limitations are necessary to make designs
consistent with the intent of the code.
The purpose of this paper is to indicate the
approximate stresses that exist in cylindrical vessels
supported on two saddles at various locations. Knowing
these stresses, it is possible to determine which vessels
may be designed for internal pressure alone, and to design
structurally adequate and economical stiffening for the
vessels which require it. Formulas are developed to cover
various conditions, and a chart is given which covers
support designs for pressure vessels made of mild steel for
storage of liquid weighing 42 lb. per cu. ft.
HISTORY
In a paper published in 1933 Herman Schorer pointed
out that a length of cylindrical shell supported by
tangential end shears varying, proportionately to the sine
of the central angle measured from the top of the vessel
can support its own metal weight and the full contained
liquid weight without circumferential bending moments in
the shell. To complete this analysis, rings around the
entire circumference are required at the supporting points
1

L. P. Zick is Chief Engineer with the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Oak Brook, Ill.

Reprinted from Welding Journal Research Supplement, 1971

transfer these shears to the foundation without distorting

the cylindrical shell. Discussions of Schorer's paper by H.
C. Boardman and others gave approximate solutions for
the half full condition. When a ring of uniform cross
section is supported on two vertical posts, the full
condition governs the design of the ring if the central
angle between the post intersections with the ring is less
than 126, and the half-full condition governs if this angle
is more than 126. However, the full condition governs the
design of rings supported directly in or adjacent to
saddles.
Mr. Boardman's discussion also pointed out that the
heads may substitute for the rings provided the supports
are near the heads. His unpublished paper has been used
successfully since 1941 for vessels supported on saddles
near the heads. His method of analysis covering supports
near the heads is included in this paper in a slightly
modified form.
Discussions of Mr. Schorer's paper also gave successful
and semi-successful examples of unstiffened cylindrical
shells supported on saddles, but an analysis is lacking.
The semi-successful examples indicated that the shells
had actually slumped down over the horns of the saddles
while being filled with liquid, but had rounded up again
when internal pressure was applied.
Testing done by others, 2,3 gave very useful results in the
ranges of their respective tests, but the investigators
concluded that analysis was highly indeterminate. In
recent years the author has participated in strain gage
surveys of several large vessels. 4 A typical test setup is
shown in Fig. 1.
In this paper an attempt has been made to produce an
approximate analysis involving certain empirical
assumptions which make the theoretical analysis closely
approximate the test results.
SELECTION OF SUPPORTS
When a cylindrical vessel acts as its own carrying beam
across two symmetrically placed saddle supports, one-half
of the total load will be carried by each support. This
would be true even if one support should
959

Fig. 1
tank

Strain gage test set up on 30,000 gal. propane

settle more than the other. This would also be true if a

differential in temperature or if the axial restraint of the
supports should cause the vessel acting as a beam to bow
up or down at the center. This fact alone gives the twosupport system preference over a multiple-support system.
The most economical location and type of support
generally depend upon the strength of the vessel to be
supported and the cost of the supports, or of the supports
and additional stiffening if required. In a few cases the
advantage of placing fittings and piping in the bottom of
the vessel beyond the saddle will govern the location of
the saddle.
The pressure-vessel codes limit the contact angle of
each saddle to a minimum of 120 except for very small
vessels. In certain cases a larger contact angle should be
used. Generally the saddle width is not a controlling
factor; so a nominal width of 12 in. for steel or 15 in. for
concrete may be used. This width should be increased for
extremely heavy vessels, and in certain cases it may be
desirable to reduce this width for small vessels.
Thin-wall vessels of large diameter are best supported
near the heads provided they can support their own weight
and contents between supports and provided the heads are
stiff enough to transfer the load to the saddles. Thick-wall
vessels too long to act as simple beams are best supported
where the maximum longitudinal bending stress in the shell
at the saddles is nearly equal to the maximum longitudinal
bending stress in the shell at the saddles is nearly equal to
the maximum longitudinal bending stress at mid-span,
provided the shell is stiff enough to resist this bending and
to transfer the load to the saddles. Where the stiffness
required is not available in the shell alone, ring stiffeners
must be added
960

at or near the saddles. Vessels must also be rigid enough

to support normal external loads such as wind.
Figure 2 indicates the most economical locations and
types of supports for large steel horizontal pressure vessels
on two supports. A liquid weight of 42 lb. per cu. ft. was
used because it is representative of the volatile liquids
usually associated with pressure vessels.
Where liquids of different weights are to be stored or
where different materials are to be used, a rough design
may be obtained from the chart and this design should be
checked by the applicable formulas outlined in the
following sections. Table I outlines the coefficients to be
used with the applicable formulas for various support
types and locations. The notation used is listed at the end
of the paper under the heading Nomenclature.
MAXlMUM LONGlTUDlNAL STRESS
The cylindrical shell acts as a beam over the two
supports to resist by bending the uniform load of the
vessel and its contents. The equivalent length of the
vessel (see Figs. 2 and 3) equals (L + (4H/3)), closely, and
the total weight of the vessel and its contents equals 2Q.
However, it can be shown that the liquid weight in a
hemispherical head adds only a shear load at its junction
with the cylinder. This can be approximated for heads
where H R by representing the pressure on the head and
the longitudinal stress as a clockwise couple on the head
shown at the left of Fig. 3. Therefore the vessel may be
taken as a beam loaded as shown in Fig. 3; the moment
diagram determined by statics is also shown. Maximum
moments occur at the mid-span and over the supports.

Tests have shown that except near the saddles a cylindrical shell just full of liquid has practically no circumferential bending moments and therefore behaves as a beam
with a section modulus I/c = r2t.
However, in the region above each saddle
circumferential

bending moments are introduced allowing the unstiffened

upper portion of the shell to deflect, thus making it
ineffective as a beam. This reduces the effective cross
section acting as a beam just as though the shell were split
along a horizontal line at a level above the

961

(b) MOMENT DIAGRAM IN FT.-LBS

Fig. 3

Cylindrical shell acting as beam over supports

saddle. (See Fig. 4 (a).) If this effective arc is represented

by 2- (- in radians) it can be shown that the section
modulus becomes:

Fig. 4 Load transfer to saddle by tangential shear stresses

in cylindrical shell

Strain gage studies indicate that this effective arc is

approximately equal to the contact angle plus one-sixth of
the unstiffened shell as indicated in Section A-A of Fig. 4.
Of course, if the shell is stiffened by a head or complete
ring stiffener near the saddle the effective arc, 2 -, equals
the entire cross section, and I/c = r2t.
Since most vessels are of uniform shell thickness, the
design formula involves only the maximum value of the
longitudinal bending stress. Dividing the maximum
moment by the section modulus gives the maximum axial
stress in lb. per sq. in. in the shell due to bending as a
beam, or

where the ending stress in the shell is equal at mid -span

and at the saddle varies with the saddle angle because of
the reduced effective cross section. Fig. 5A in App. B
gives acceptable values at K1.
This maximum bending stress, S 1, may be either
tension or compression. The tension stress when
combined with the axial stress due to internal pressure
should not exceed the allowable tension stress of the
material times the effi-ciency of the girth joints. The
compression stress should not exceed one half of the
compression yield point of the material or the value given
by
which is based upon the accepted formula for buckling of
short steel cylindrical columns*. The compression

K1 is a constant for a given set of conditions, but

actually varies with the ratios A/L and H/L R/L for
different saddle angles. For convenience, K 1 is plotted in
Fig. 5 against A/L for various types of saddle supports,
assuming conservative values of H = 0 when the mid-span
governs and H = R when the shell section at the saddle
governs. A maximum value of R/L = 0.09 was assumed
because other factors govern the design for larger values
of this ratio. As in a beam the mid-span governs for the
smaller values of A/L and the shell section at the saddle
governs for the larger values of A/L; however, the point
Fig. 5

Plot of longitudinal bending-moment constant, K.

*See also per UG-23(b) ASME Code Section VlIl Div. 1.

962

stress is not a factor in a steel vessel where t/r 0.005 and

the vessel is designed to be fully stressed under internal
pressure.
TANGENTIAL SHEAR STRESS
Figure 4 (d) shows the total shear diagram for vessels
supported in saddles away from the heads.
Where the shell is held round, the tangential shearing
stresses vary directly with the sine of the central angle ,
as shown in Section B-B of Fig. 4, and the maximum
occurs at the equator.
However, if the shell is free to deform above the saddle,
the tangential shearing stresses act on a reduced effective
cross section and the maximum occurs at the horn of the
saddle. This is approximated by assuming the shears
continue to vary as the sin but only act on twice the arc
given by (/2 + /20) or ( - ) as shown in Section A-A of
Fig. 4. The summation of the vertical components of these
assumed shears must equal the maximum total shear.
The maximum tangential shear stress will occur on
center side of the saddle provided the saddle is beyond
influence of the head but not past the quarter point of
vessel. Then with saddles away from the heads
maximum shear stress in lb. per sq. in. is given by

CIRCUMFERENTIAL STRESS AT HORN OF

SADDLE
In the plane of the saddle the load must be transferred
from the cylindrical shell to the saddle: As was pointed
out in the previous section the tangential shears adjust
their distribution in order to make this transfer with a
minimum amount of circumferential bending and
distortion. The evaluation of these shears was quite
empirical except for the case of the ring stiffener in the
plane of the saddle. Evaluation of the circumferential
bending stresses is even more difficult.
Starting with a ring in the plane of the saddle, the shear
distribution is known. The bending moment at any point
above the saddle may be computed by any of the methods
of indeterminate structures. If the ring is assumed uniform
in cross section and fixed at the horns of the saddles, the
moment, M, in in.-lb. at any point A is given by:

the
the
the
the

Values of K2 listed in Table I for various types of supports

are obtained from the expressions given for the maximum
shears in Fig. 4, and the appendix.
Figure 4 (f) indicates the total shear diagram for vessels
supported on saddles near the heads. In this case the head
stiffens the shell in the region of the saddle. This causes
most of the tangential shearing stress to be carried across
the saddle to the head, and then the load is transferred
back to the head side of the saddle by tangential shearing
stresses applied to an arc slightly larger than the contact
angle of the saddle. Section C-C of Fig. 4 indicates this
shear distribution; that is, the shears vary as the sin and
act downward above angle and act upward below angle
. The summation of the downward vertical components
must balance the summation of the upward vertical
components. Then with saddles at the heads the maximum
shear stress in lb. per sq. in. is given by

This is shown schematically in Fig. 6. Note that must be

in radians in the formula.
The maximum moment occurs when =. Substituting
for and K6 for the expression in the brackets divided by
, the maximum circumferential bending moment in in.-lb.
is
When the shell is supported on a saddle and there is no
ring stiffener the shears tend to bunch up near the horn of
the saddle, so that the actual maximum circumferential
bending moment in the shell is considerably less than M
as calculated above for a ring stiffener in the plane of the
saddle. The exact analysis is not known; however, stresses
calculated on the assumption

in the shell, or

in the head.
Values of K2 given in Table I for different size saddles at the
heads are obtained from the expression given for the maximum
shear stress in Section C-C of Fig.4 & appendix.
The tangential shear stress should not exceed 0.8 of the
allowable tension stress.

Fig. 6

Circumferential bending-moment diagram, ring in

plane of saddle

963

that a wide width of shell is effective in resisting the

hypothetical moment, M , agree conservatively with the
results of strain gage surveys. It was found that this
effective width of shell should be equal to 4 times the
shell radius or equal to one-half the length of the vessel,
whichever is smaller. It should be kept in mind that use of
this seemingly excessive width of shell is an artifice
whereby the hypothetical moment M is made to render
calculated stresses in reasonable accord with actual
stresses.
When the saddles are near the heads, the shears carry
to the head and are then transferred back to the saddle.
Again the shears tend to concentrate near the horn of the
saddle. Because of the relatively short stiff members this
transfer reduces the circumferential bending moment still
more.
To introduce the effect of the head the maximum
moment is taken as
Where K3 equals K6 when A/R is greater than 1. Values of
K3 are plotted in Fig. 7 using the assumption that this
moment is divided by four when A/R is less than 0.5.

be equal to 1.50 times the tension allowable provided the

compressive strength of the material equals the tensile
strength. In the first place when the region at the horn of
the saddle yields, it acts as a hinge, and the upper portion
of the shell continues to resist the loads as a two-hinged
arch. There would be little distortion until a second point
near the equator started to yield. Secondly, if rings are
added to reduce this local stress, a local longitudinal
bending stress occurs at the edge of the ring under
pressure. 5 This local stress would be 1.8 times the design
ring stress if the rings were infinitely rigid. Weld seams in
the shell should not be located near the horn of the saddle
where the maximum moment occurs.
EXTERNAL LOADS
Long vessels with very small t/r values are susceptible
to distortion from unsymmetrical external loads such as
wind. It is assumed that vacuum relief valves will be
provided where required; so it is not necessary to design
against a full vacuum. However, experience indicates that
vessels designed to withstand 1 lb. per sq. in. external
pressure can successfully resist external loads
encountered in normal service.
Assume the external pressure is 1 lb. per sq. in. in the
formulas used to determine the sloping portion of the
external pressure chart in the 1950 A.S.M.E. Unfired
Pressure Vessel Code. Then when the vessel is unstiffened
between the heads, the maximum length in feet between
stiffeners (the heads) is given approximately by

Fig. 7

Plot of circumferential bending-moment constant,

K3

The change in shear distribution also reduces the direct

load at the horns of the saddle; this is assumed to be Q/4
for shells without added stiffeners. However, since this
load exists, the effective width of the shell which resists
this direct load is limited to that portion which is stiffened
by the contact of the saddle. It is assumed that 5t each
side of the saddle acts with the portion directly over the
saddle. See Appendix B.
Internal pressure stresses do not add directly to the
local bending stresses, because the shell rounds up under
pressure. Therefore the maximum circumferential
combined stress in the shell is compressive, occurs at the
horn of the saddle, and is due to local bending and direct
stress. This maximum combined stress in lb. per sq. in. is
given by
or

It seems reasonable to allow this combined stress to

* Note: For multiple supports:
L=Twice the length of portion of shell carried by
saddle
If L 8R use 1st formula.
964

When ring stiffeners are added to the vessel at the

supports, the maximum length in feet between stiffeners
is given by

ADDITIONAL STRESS IN HEAD USED AS

STIFFENER
When the head stiffness is utilized by placing the
saddle close to the heads, the tangential shear stresses
cause an additional stress in the head which is additive to
the pressure stress. Referring to Section C-C of Fig. 4, it
can be seen that the tangential shearing stresses have
horizontal components which would cause varying
horizontal tension stresses across the entire height of the
head if the head were a flat disk. The real action in a
dished head would be a combination of ring action and
direct stress; however, for simplicity the action on a flat
disk is considered reasonable for design purposes.
Assume that the summation of the horizontal
components of the tangential shears is resisted by the
vertical cross section of the flat head at the center line,

and assume that the maximum stress is 1.5 times the

aver-age stress. Then the maximum additional stress in
the head in lb. per sq. in. is given by

or

This stress should be combined with the stress in the

head due to internal pressure. However, it is
recommended that this combined stress be allowed to be
25% greater than the allowable tension stress because of
the nature of the stress and because of the method of
RING COMPRESSION IN SHELL OVER SADDLE
Figure 8 indicates the saddle reactions, assuming the
surfaces of the shell and saddle are in frictionless contact
without attachment. The sum of the assumed tangential
shears on both edges of the saddle at any point A is also
shown in Fig. 8. These forces acting on the shell band
directly over the saddle cause ring compression in the
shell band. Since the saddle reactions are radial, they pass
through the center 0. Taking moments about point O
indicates that the ring compression at any point A is given
by the summation of the tangential shears between and .

Fig. 8

Loads and reactions on

This ring compression saddles

is maximum at the bottom, where
= . Again a width of shell equal to 5t each side of the
saddle plus the width of the saddle is assumed to resist this
force. See Appendix B. Then the stress in lb. per sq. in. due
to ring compression is given by

formulas for the assumed cylindrical shell thickness may

be taken as (t 1 + t2) for S5 (where t1 = shell thickness and t 2
= wear plate thickness), provided the width of the added
plate equals at least (b + 10t 1) (See Appendix B).
The thickness t may be taken as (t 1 + t2) in the formula
for S2, provided the plate extends r/10 inches above the
horn of the saddle near the head, and provided the plate
extends between the saddle and an adjacent stiffener ring.
(Also check for S2 stress in the shell at the equator.)
The thickness t may he taken as (t 1 + t2) in the first term
of the formula for S3 provided the plate extends r/10
inches above the horn of the saddle near the head.
However, (t12 + t22) should be substituted for t 2 in the
second term. The combined circumferential stress (S 3) at
the top edge of the wear plate should also be checked
using the shell plate thickness t 1 and the width of the wear
plate. When checking at this point, the value of K 3 should
be reduced by extrapolation in Figure 7 assuming equal
to the central angle of the wear plate but not more than the
saddle angle plus 12.
DESIGN OF RING STIFFENERS
When the saddles must be located away from the heads
and when the shell alone cannot resist the circumferential
bending, ring stiffeners should be added at or near the
supports. Because the size of rings involved does not
warrant further refinement, the formulas developed in this
paper assume that the added rings are continuous with a
uniform cross section. The ring stiffener must be attached
to the shell, and the portion of the shell reinforced by the
stiffener plus a width of shell equal to 5t each side may be
assumed to act with each stiffener. The ring radius is
assumed equal to r.
When n stiffeners are added directly over the saddle as
shown in Fig. 4 (c), the tangential shear distribution is
known. The equation for the resulting bending moment at
any point was developed previously, and the resulting
moment diagram is shown in Fig. 6. The maximum
moment occurs at the horn of the saddle and is given in
in.-lb. for each stiffener by

Knowing the maximum moment M and the moment at

the top of the vessel, M t, the direct load at the point of
maximum moment may be found by statics. Then the
direct load at the horn of the saddle is given in pounds by

or

The ring compression stress should not exceed one-half

of the compression yield point of the material.

or

WEAR PLATES
The stress may be reduced by attaching a wear plate
somewhat larger than the surface of the saddle to the shell
directly over the saddle. The thickness t used in the

If n stiffeners are added adjacent to the saddle as

shown in Fig. 4 (b), the rings will act together and each
will be loaded with shears distributed as in Section B-B
on one side but will be supported on the saddle side
965

by a shear distribution similar to that shown in Section

A-A. Conservatively, the support may be assumed to be
tangential and concentrated at the horn of the saddle. This
is shown schematically in Fig. 9; the resulting bending
moment diagram is also indicated. This bending moment
in in.-lb. at any point A above the horn of the saddle is
given by

For the range of saddle angles considered M is

maximum near the equator where = . This moment and
the direct stress may be found using a procedure similar
to that used for the stiffener in the plane of the saddle.
Substituting for and K6 for the expression in the
brackets divided by 2, the maximum moment in each
ring adjacent to the saddle is given in in.-lb. by

Knowing the moments M and Mt, the direct load at

may be found by statics and is given by

or
Then the maximum combined stress due to liquid load
in each ring used to stiffen the shell at or near the saddle
is given in lb. per sq. in. by

where = the area and I/c = the section modulus of the

cross section of the composite ring stiffener. When a ring
is attached to the inside surface of the shell directly over
the saddle or to the outside surface of the shell adjacent
to the saddle, the maximum combined stress is
compression at the shell. However, if the ring is attached
to the opposite surface, the maximum combined stress
may be either compression in the outer flange due to
liquid or tension at the shell due to liquid and internal
pressure.
The maximum combined compression stress due to
liquid should not exceed one-half of the compression
yield point of the material. The maximum combined
tension stress due to liquid and pressure should not
exceed the allowable tension stress of the material.
DESIGN OF SADDLES
Each saddle should be rigid enough to prevent the
separation of the horns of the saddle; therefore the saddle
should be designed for a full water load. The horn of the
saddle should be taken at the intersection of the outer
edge of the web with the top flange of a steel saddle. The
minimum section at the low point of either a steel or
concrete saddle must resist a total force, F, in pounds,
equal to the summation of the horizontal components of
966

the reactions on one-half of the saddle. Then

Fig. 9

Circumferential bending-moment

diagram,

stiffeners
adjacent to saddle
The effective section resisting
this load should be limited
to the metal cross section within a distance equal to r/3
below the shell. This cross section should be limited to
the reinforcing steel within the distance r/3 in concrete
saddles. The average stress should not exceed two-thirds
of the tension allowable of the material. A low allowable
stress is recommended because the effect of the
circumferential bending in the shell at the horn of the
saddle has been neglected.
The upper and lower flanges of a steel saddle should be
designed to resist bending over the web(s), and the
web(s) should be stiffened according to the A.I.S.C.
specifications against buckling. The contact area between
the shell and concrete saddle or between the metal saddle
and the concrete foundation should be adequate to support
the bearing loads.

Where extreme movements are anticipated or where the

saddles are welded to the shell, bearings or rockers should
be provided at one saddle. Under normal conditions a sheet
of elastic waterproof material at least 1/4 in. thick between
the shell and a concrete saddle will suffice.
Nomenclature

Then the stress in the shell at the saddle in lb. per sq. in.
is given by

or
where

Appendix
The formulas developed by outline in the text are
developed mathematically here under headings corresponding to those of the text.

The bending moment in ft.-lb. at the mid span is

The pertinent assumptions and statements appearing in

the text have not been repeated.
Maximum Longitudinal Stress
Referring to Fig. 3, the bending moment in ft.-lb. at
the saddle is

The section modulus = r2t, and

Referring to Section A-A of Fig. 4 the centroid of the

arc r

effective

sin

where

. If equals any central

angle

measured from the bottom, the moment of inertia is

The section modulus for the tension side of the equivalent

beam is

Tangential Shear Stress

Section B-B of Fig. 4 indicates the plot of the shears
adjacent to a stiffener. The summation of the vertical
components of the shears on each side of the stiffener
must equal the load on the saddle Q. Referring to Fig. 4
(d) the sum of the shears on both sides of the stiffener at
any point is Q sin /r.
Then the summation of the
vertical components is given by

The maximum shear stress occurs at the equator when sin

= 1 and K2 = 1/ = 0.319.
Section A-A of Fig. 4 indicates the plot of the shears

967

in an unstiffened shell. Again this summation of the

vertical components of the shears on each side of the
saddle must equal the load on the saddle. Then the total
shear at any point is
Then assuming this load is resisted by 2rt h. and that the
maximum stress is 1.5 times the average
and the summation of the vertical components is given
by

where

The maximum shear occurs where = and

Section C-C of Fig. 4 indicates the shear transfer across

the saddle to the head and back to the head side of the
saddle. Here the summation of the vertical components of
the shears on arc acting downward must equal the
summation of the vertical component of the shears on the
lower arc () acting upward. Then

or

Wear Plates
The ring compression at any point in the shell over the
saddle is given by the summation of the tangential shears
over the arc = () shown in Section A-A or C-C of Fig.
4 or in Fig. 8. Then

The ring compression becomes a maximum in the shell

at the bottom of the saddle. Or if = this expression
becomes

Then

Finally

The maximum shear occurs where

= and
Design of Ring Stiffeners
Stiffener in Plane of Saddle

Circumferential Stress at Horn of Saddle

See under the heading Design of Ring Stiffeners.
Additional Stress in Head Used as Stiffener
Referring to Section C-C of Fig. 4, the tangential
shears have horizontal components which cause tension
across the head. The summation of these components on
the vertical axis is

968

Referring to Fig. 6, the arch above the horns of the

saddle resists the tangential shear load. Assuming this
arch fixed at the top of the saddles, the bending moment
may be found using column analogy.
If the arch is cut at the top, the static moment at any
point A is

Then the M s/EI diagram is the load on the analogous

column
The area of this analogous column is

The centroid is sin /r, and the moment of inertia

about the horizontal axis is
Finally
Finally
Because of symmetry the shear stress is zero at the top
of the vessel; therefore, the direct load in the ring at the
top of the vessel, Pt, may be found by taking moments on
the arc about the horn of the saddle. Then
The load on the analogous column is

The direct load, P, at = , the point of maximum

moment may be found by taking moments about the
center. Then
The moment about the horizontal axis is
Substituting the value above for P t, and solving for P ,
gives

or
where

Then the indeterminate moment is

If the rings are adjacent to the saddle, K 6 and K7 may

be found in a similar manner, except that the static
structure would become the entire ring split at the top and
loaded as indicated in Fig. 9.
Design of Saddles

The distance from the neutral axis to point A is given

by

The summation of the horizontal components of the

radial reactions on one-half of the Saddle shown in Fig. 8
must be resisted by the saddle at = . Then this
horizontal force is given by

Finally, the combined moment is given by

Then
This is the maximum when = ; then

The bending at the horn would change the saddle

reaction distribution, and increase this horizontal force.

969

Fig, 5.4 Plot of longitudinal bending moment constant K1

Appendix B
After the article had been published, certain
refinements seemed desirable; therefore, the following
has been added to take greater advantage of the inherent
stiffness of these vessels. The methods outlined in the
paper will give conservative results.
The effective width of shell has been limited to 10t in
order to prepare the chart of Fig. 2. It has been shown 5
that this effective width may be taken as 1.56 rt . That
is, where 5t each side of the saddle or stiffener has been
used, the more liberal value of 0.78 rt each side could
be used.

970

The values plotted in Fig. 5 for K 1 cover conservatively

all types of heads between H = 0 and H = R. More liberal
values are given in Fig. 5A for hemispherical and 2 to 1
ellipsoidal heads for values of H/L between 0 and 0.1.
The minimum values of K 1 given in Table I have not been
listed for specific values of R/L and H/L; so they are
conservative. Specific minimum values of K1 may be read
from Fig. 5A.