Experimental and finite element prediction of bursting pressure in compound cylinders

Aluminium cylinders with a constant ratio of outer to inner radii, k=2.2, with different diametral interferences and various shrinkage radii were subjected to bursting and autofrettage pressures. Numerical simulations of the compound cylinders were also performed using the finite element code, NISA. The results can predict the optimum shrinkage radius to a reasonable accuracy with the use of finite element analysis. This radius corresponds to the situation when the maximum von-Mises stress at the internal radii of both the inner and outer cylinders become equal. It was shown that the maximum von-Mises stress across the wall of the cylinder is at the minimum at this shrinkage radius. The optimum diametral interference was found to be that which sufficiently brought the contact surface of the inner and outer cylinders to the point of yielding. Should the shrinkage pressure exceed the elastic limit, the pressure capacity of the cylinder will not be improved. The numerical and experimental results show that autofrettage had no effect on the bursting pressure of the thick-walled compound cylinder for the material tested.