CHAPTER

26
FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTIC
PRESSURE VESSELS AND
ASME RTP-1REINFORCED
THERMOSET PLASTIC
CORROSION-RESISTANCE EQUIPMENT
Peter Conlisk1 and Bernard F. Shelley
26.1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is intended primarily for engineers and designers

whose experience with vessels is primarily with metal equipment. Those having experience with fiberglass equipment but not
with Section X [1] or RTP-1 [2] will also find this chapter useful,
but they may want to skim over the following sections on FRP2
technology.
Section X is part of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel
(B&PV) Code and has been enacted into law in 37 jurisdictions in
the United States and Canada. Although the authors of RTP-1
wrote it so that it could be used as a Code, RTP-1 has not been
enacted into law anywhere; therefore, it is at present a voluntary
standard. Both standards govern vessels constructed of thermosetting resin reinforced with glass fibers. In addition to glass fibers,
Section X also provides for vessels reinforced with carbon or
aramid fibers. The pressure scope of Section X is 15 psig to
15,000 psig internal pressure of which the upper limit depends on
the size and construction of the vessel. RTP-1 covers tanks and
vessels with design pressures 015 psig. Both standards have provisions for vessels with external pressure from 015 psig.
Neither RTP-1 nor Section X makes a good handbook or textbook on FRP vessel design. This chapter is intended to serve as a
manual on the use of the documents. An engineer who specifies an
FRP vessel does not need to have the under-standing of FRP that
the vessel designer possesses. However, in specifying the vessel,
the engineer necessarily makes many design choices, for which reason he or she should understand the rudiments of FRP technology.
1
Late Peter J. Conlisk was the originator of this chapter for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
editions. Bernard F. Shelley updated this chapter for the 4th edition.
2
FRP is an acronym that stands for fiber-reinforced plastic; RTP is an acronym that
stands for reinforced-thermoset resin. Herein, FRP, RTP, and fiberglass are all used as
synonyms.

Section 26.2 discusses the basics of FRP technology, particularly

aspects that might be foreign to metal-vessel engineers.

26.2

FRP TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of this section is to discuss technology used in

Section X and RTP-1 that may not be familiar to engineers and
designers of metal vessels. This section describes the resins and
reinforcing fibers included in RTP-1 and Section X. The documents govern vessels built of epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester, furan
and phenolic resins reinforced with glass, and carbon and aramid
fibers. It also describes the following processes used to manufacture RTP-1 and Section X vessels: contact molding, bag molding,
centrifugal casting, and filament winding. The joining of vessel
parts made by these methods is also discussed.
Stress analysis of FRP equipment involves lamination theory
and plate-and-shell theory. Plate-and-shell theory is widely used
by metal-vessel designers and is therefore not discussed except
where it forms part of the bases for design examples. Lamination
theory is a branch of mechanics concerned with plates and shells
made of layered material, where the layers are bonded together,
but have different elastic properties. Lamination theory is essential to the engineering of FRP tanks and vessels but is not needed
to design and analyze metal equipment. Engineers familiar with
metal-vessel design are usually unacquainted with lamination theory; therefore its rudiments are discussed. This chapter presents
the physical, intuitive basis for lamination theory and examples of
its application, but not its mathematical development. Lamination
theory is used in both RTP-1 and Section X.
Acoustic-emission (AE) examination is another technology
widely applied to both new and in-service FRP tanks and vessels,
although not as widely to metal equipment. It is required for some
Section X vessels and is optional for RTP-1.

26-2 Chapter 26

26.2.1

FRP-Composite Materials

FRP-composite materials governed by Section X and RTP-1

consist of thermosetting plastic that is reinforced by glass, aramid,
or carbon fibers. The vast majority of FRP-composite tanks and
vessels use glass fibers. Thermosetting resins are viscous liquids
that can be cured to form rigid solids. The curing process is initiated by the addition of a hardening agent, the use of catalysts and
initiators, the use of heat, or the use of a combination of chemical
agents and heat. Once cured, the now-rigid plastic cannot be melted
and rehardened, for which reason the vessel parts built of composites made with thermosetting resins cannot be welded together
but must instead be assembled by adhesive joints. Vessel parts are
built up layer by layer with glass fibers bound together with the
thermosetting resin. The layers are applied to molds or mandrels
by many processes that are described in this chapter.
The fiber reinforcement contributes structural performance
required of the vessel or tank. The fibers are the primary contributor of strength and stiffness of the vessel parts. Section X covers
FRP reinforced by E-glass, S-glass, or aramid and carbon fibers,
whereas RTP-1 covers FRP reinforced by either E-glass or Sglass. The average diameter of a glass fiber is approximately
0.0005 in.; the diameter varies from 0.00025 in. to 0.00075 in.
Table 26.1 summarizes fiber properties.
Section X provides for five kinds of resin, each described as
follows:

FIG. 26.1 FIBERGLASS-REINFORCING MAT

Chlorendic Bisphenol-A Fumerate These resins are used for

more exotic systems to improve corrosion resistance and hightemperature service and are therefore more expensive than vinyl
ester. They are cured at room temperature.

other resins and have good chemical resistance. They are usually
cured with heat.
Furan This is a liquid thermosetting resin in which the furan
ring is an integral part of the polymer chain made by the condensation of furfuryl alcohol. Furan resins have excellent corrosion
resistance especially with fluids with organic contaminates. They
also provide higher temperature resistance than most polyester
resins. They are very brittle in nature, hard to handle and must be
post cured at elevated temperatures.
RTP-1 governs FRP made with isophthalic polyester, vinyl
ester, and chlorendic Bisphenol-A Fumerate resins; it does not
cover phenolic, furan or epoxy laminates.
The resin and glass are combined and applied to the vessel-part
mold in thin layers called laminae. Many laminae combine to form
the full-part thickness, and this stack-up or sequence of laminae is
called a laminate. Laminae can be classified by the form of reinforcing glass they contain. The common lamina types are as follows:

Phenolic These resins have better flammability properties (e.g.,

higher flame retardance and lower smoke emissivity) than the
other four families of resin. Phenolic composites are more brittle
than composites built with the other resins, and phenolic resins are
harder to process than the others. Phenolics are cured at room
temperature.

Mat Lamina Figure 26.1 shows a magnified view of this product form. The mat commonly used in tanks and vessels weighs
either 0.75 oz/ft2 or 1.5 oz/ft2 and is supplied in rolls of various
widths. When it is combined with resin, applied to a mold, and
cured, a 1.5 oz/ft2 mat ply is typically 0.43 in. thick and is by
weight about 35% glass fiber.

Epoxy There is wide range of epoxy resins available. Epoxy

composites typically are stronger than composites made with the

Woven-Roving Lamina Figure 26.2 shows woven-roving reinforcing glass. There are five fiber bundles per inch in the vertical

Isophthalic Polyester This is the lowest cost system governed

by the ASME standards. Isophthalic polyester has good strength
and corrosion resistance and is therefore widely used for FRP
chemical-process equipment. It is cured at room temperature.
Vinyl Ester These resins combine both epoxy and polyester
technology. They have excellent corrosion resistance, strength, and
toughness, but they are more expensive than isophthalic polyesters. They can be cured at room temperature.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-3

FIG. 26.2 WOVEN-ROVING REINFORCING GLASS

direction and four in the horizontal direction. The woven-roving

lamina weighs 24 oz/yd2 (2.7 oz/ft2).3 A typical specimen is 0.33 in.
thick and is by weight 50%60% glass fiber.
Filament-Wound Lamina The following brief description of
filament winding is taken from an article on the Composite
Fabricators Association Web site [3].
What is filament winding? Filament winding has been compared to wrapping a whole bunch of string around a spool and
then taking the spool out late. Thats a fairly simple analogy, but
its close to the mark. The spool essentially is the internal part,
referred to as the mandrel that forms the shape of the filament
wound structure. The string is the reinforcing fiber that is systematically wound around the mandrel until it totally covers the surface area to a depth desired by the designer. In order to keep the
string in the place, the fiber reinforcement is saturated with the
glue, or resin, which eventually cures and binds the fibers in place.
A filament-wound lamina has all the fibers running in the same
direction. The fibers are continuous and are precisely placed by
the winding process. Therefore, they are more tightly packed than
the fibers in mat and woven-roving laminae. Filament-wound
laminae have a higher glass content than the other types
60%70% by weight. Figure 26.3 shows spools of glass-roving
laminae (bundles of individual fibers) that are used for filament
winding. About 5,000 individual fibers make up a strand that is
wound on the spool. The fibers are about 0.005 in. in diameter.
The roving bundles are applied at various wind angles, which are
the angles between the fiber and a line on the surface of the part
that is parallel to the axis of the cylinder being constructed.

3
For reasons unknown to the author, it is an industry practice to quote mat
weight in oz/ft2 and woven-roving weight in oz/yd2.

FIG. 26.3 SPOOLS OF CONTINUOUS ROVING

C-veil, Carbon-Fiber Veil, and Nexus Lamina The corrosion

resistance of the process surface of a laminate is often enhanced by
applying a corrosion barrier. Typically, the innermost surface consists of a C-veil, carbon-fiber veil, or nexus ply followed by two or
three mat plies. A C-veil ply is a resin-rich layer about 0.01 in. thick
and reinforced with a C-glass veil. Veil is a gauzy sheet of randomly
oriented C-glass fibers weighing about 0.1 oz/yd3.
The glass content is approximately 10% by weight. In a nexus
lamina, the C-glass veil is replaced by a thin, feltlike sheet made
from polyester fibers. Veil made from carbon fiber is also used,
and occasionally double C-veil or nexus layers are used.
Mat and veil-reinforced laminae are isotropic in the plane of the
laminate, whereas woven-roving and filament-wound piles are

26-4 Chapter 26

orthotropic in both stiffness and strength. Tables 26.2, 26.3, and 26.4
each summarize the properties of the laminae discussed pre-viously.
Table 26.2 provides reinforcement weight, lamina thick-ness, and
glass content by weight of the six types. Table 26.3 lists the elastic
properties of the laminae; Table 26.4, the strength properties.
The principal direction of a lamina is the direction of the
fibers. For woven-roving laminae, the principal direction is either
fiber direction; in isotropic laminae, the principal direction is
arbitrary. In Tables 26.3 and 26.4, X refers to the principal direction and Y refers to the direction in the plane of the lamina perpendicular to X. Tables 26.3 and 26.4 provide room-temperature
properties for laminae made with Derakane 470 resin and with
the glass contents listed. Properties of laminae made with other
resins or glass content vary somewhat from those listed. At first
glance, it would seem that the woven-roving lamina is only
slightly anisotropic, as the moduli in the X and Y directions are
not too different. However, in isotropic material the shear modulus G is related to Youngs modulus E and Poissons ratio v by
the following equation:
G =

E
2(1 + v)

(26.1)

Suppose for simplicity that we wished to treat the wovenroving lamina as an isotropic material and decided to set E as the

average of the two Youngs moduli in the table and use the listed
value of Poissons ratio. Then,
G =

2.71 * 106
= 1.18 * 106 psi
2(1 + 0.15)

(26.2)

This value for G is 3.06 times the actual value. The actual
woven-roving lamina is much more compliant for tensile strain at
45 deg. to the principal direction than the assumed isotropic
model. Some woven-roving laminae have the same Youngs modulus in the principal directions; however, because of their low shear
modulus, they should be treated as orthotropic materials in the
stress analysis. A common example of this kind of behavior is a
cloth handkerchief. It is much stiffer in the thread directions than
in the bias direction. Even though the tensile moduli in the thread
directions are roughly equal, the cloth is highly anisotropic.
The values in Table 26.4 are for the same laminae as in Table
26.3; laminae made with other resins and glass contents have
somewhat different strength properties. However, most other features of Table 26.4, including mat lamina having higher tensilestrength than compressive-strength properties, are common to all
the laminae allowed by Section X and RTP-1. Nonetheless, the
strength behavior is very different and more complicated than that
of ductile metals used in tanks and vessels. Strengths may or may

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-5

not be different in different directions. For example, the tensile

strength of mat laminae is the same in both directions, whereas
the tensile strength of filament-wound laminae is 32 times greater
in the fiber direction than it is in the cross-fiber direction. In some
laminae (such as mat or woven-roving), the compressive strength
in a given direction is less than the tensile strength. In filamentwound plies, the compressive strength is less than the tensile
strength in the fiber direction, but it is greater than the tensile
strength in the cross-fiber direction. There is no obvious general
relationship between shear strength and the other strength values.
Complicated elastic and strength properties make stress analysis of FRP equipment more difficult and time-consuming than
analysis of metal equipment of similar complexity. Finite-element
methods make such stress analysis practical. Many commercially
available finite-element codes have layered composite-plate elements that employ lamination theory (to be described in Section
26.9.1) to form the stiffness matrices of the elements and also
provide lamina-by-lamina stress- and strain-field output. The
codes usually include failure criteria suitable for use with FRP
laminates, one of whichthe Tsai-Wu Tensor Interaction Criterion
(to be discussed)is used by both RTP-1 and Section X. If an FRP
tank or vessel can be validly modeled by plate elements, finiteelement analysis is somewhat more expensive than analysis of a
comparable metal vessel, but not prohibitively so.
26.2.1.1 Notation for Laminate Sequences As stated previously,
a laminate is composed of a sequence of laminae. This paragraph
explains the common notations used for specifying a laminate
sequence or stack-up. V designates a corrosion-veil lamina; M,
a mat lamina; WR, a woven-roving lamina; and FW  a
, or
FWa, a filament-wound lamina in which a is the wind angle.
A stack-up is described by combining these symbols; for example,

a laminate consisting of a veil ply, two mat plies, and three sets of
alternate mat and woven-roving plies finished by a mat plyis
designated by V, MM, 3(M, WR), M. A filament-wound laminate
0.46 in. thick, with a wind angle of 55 deg. and a standard corrosion barrier, is designated by V, 2M, 9(FW  55 deg.). The laminate has a veil and two mat plies for a corrosion barrier, followed
by eighteen plies of 0.02 in. thick filament-wound layers with
alternate plies at 55 deg. and 55 deg.
Table 26.5 lists the lamination sequences commonly used for
matwoven-roving laminates, and Table 26.6 gives the drafting
symbols that specify the sequences. The assumptions made in
these tables are that veil plies are 0.01 in. thick, mat plies are
0.043 in. thick, and woven-roving plies are 0.033 in. thick. The
glass fiber in the mat plies weighs 1.5 oz/ft2, whereas the fiber in
the woven-roving plies weighs 24 oz/yd2.
The E plies in Table 26.5 are exotherm plies. Resin curing is
an exothermic reaction that generates enough heat to damage the
laminate if the laminate thickness is built too fast. To prevent this

26-6 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.4 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF A CHOPPER GUN

occurrence, the laminator pauses after the corrosion barrier is laid

down until the peak of the exothermic reaction occurs, after which
the laminate begins to cool. The laminator resumes activity until the
first E ply is reached; then waits again for the peak exotherm. (The
E plies are ordinary mat plies.) Fabrication continues in this manner, with a pause at each exotherm ply. To build thicker
matwoven-roving parts, the laminator simply adds more 3(MR), M
sequences, giving proper attention to the exotherm plies.
The ply thicknesses assumed in the foregoing paragraph are
typical of industry practice, but Fabricators may not use precisely
these values. Instead, they may use the values that their shops
actually produce. Because of these minor variations among
Fabricators, it is better to specify the laminate in a vessel part by
drafting symbols such as those in Table 26.6 rather than simply
giving the thickness and type of laminate. For example, an engineer who wants to specify a matwoven-roving laminate 38 in.
thick would specify a V, 2M, 3(MR)M stack-up in addition to
specifying the reinforcing glass weights.

26.3

FABRICATION METHODS4

Pressure-containing parts for RTP-1 and Section X, Class II

vessels are made by contact molding and filament winding. Parts
for Section X, Class I vessels are made by those two processes as
well, but also by bag molding and centrifugal casting. Section X,
Class III vessels are only made by filament winding over a metallic or thermoplastic liner with polar boss openings. Each of these
methods is discussed in the following paragraphs.

4
In the FRP tank and vessel industry, the term Fabricator is used the same way
as Manufacturer is in the metal vessel industry. The term Manufacturer is usually
reserved for those who manufacture resin, reinforcing glass, and other components
supplied to the Fabricator.

26.3.1

Contact Molding

The following definition is from the glossary of Section X [1]:

Contact moldinga process for molding reinforced plastic in
which reinforcement and resin are placed on a moldcure is
either at room temperature using a catalystpromoter system
or by heat in an oven, and no additional pressure is used.
Contact molding includes two processes: the hand lay-up and the
spray-up. In the hand lay-up method, the mold is first prepared with
a parting agent so that the resin does not adhere to the mold as it
cures. On head molds, wax-parting agents or a liquid such as
polyvinyl alcohol is used; on cylindrical mold, Mylar film is usually
used. A sheet of reinforcing material, such as a C-glass veil, is then
placed on the mold and wetted with catalyzed and promoted resin.
(Catalyst and promoter are added to all resins except epoxy so that
they will cure and become solids. A hardener may be added to the
epoxy, or it may be heat-cured.) The resin-wetted reinforcing material is compacted and pressed to the mold by hand with a roller to
squeeze out excess resin and to remove air bubbles. Rollers resemble paint rollers, except that the type used in this application is
metal with deep grooves about 18 in. wide and 41 in. deep, with a 14 in.
pitch. Rollers vary from 2 or 3 in. to 34 in. in diameter and from 3 in.
to 12 in. in width. After the first lamina is applied, the second and
subsequent plies are added the same way. Veil, mat, and wovenroving plies are all applied by the hand lay-up method.
In the spray-up method, resin and reinforcing glass are applied to
the mold with a chopper gun. Figure 26.4 shows a schematic depiction of a chopper gun. Four hoses carry fluids to the gun: an air
hose that powers the chopper and provides a stream of air for carrying the chopped glass and resin to the mold; a resin hose; a hose
that conveys the catalyst and promoter to the gun; and a solvent
hose. A glass strand, which (as mentioned previously) contains
about 5,000 individual glass fibers, also enters the gun. In the gun,
the resin, promoter, and catalyst are mixed and then sprayed onto
the mold surface. At the same time, the roving strand enters the gun
and is chopped into lengths that vary from 34 to 2 in., and the

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-7

chopped glass is also sprayed onto the mold at the same place as
the resin. The result is that a layer of resin-wetted glass fibers is
deposited on the mold. The mass of chopped glass fiber and catalyzed and promoted resin is compacted with a roller, as in the
hand lay-up process. A lamina made this way is generally considered equivalent to a mat ply of the same thickness. When the operator pauses, even for a short time, he or she pumps solvent through
the gun to remove the resin. If this is not done, the resinbeing
catalyzed and promotedwould rapidly solidify and clog the gun.
Contact molding is used to make all pressure-containing parts,
including nozzles with flanges. It is versatile and requires only
inexpensive, simple tooling. However, it is also labor-intensive,
involving so much handwork that quality control is more difficult
than with more automatic processes.

26.3.2

Filament Winding

Figure 26.5 is a schematic diagram of filament winding. A band

of glass or other fiber roving is pulled from the creel through a resin
bath and wound onto the mandrel. For winding a cylindrical shell,
Mylar film is ordinarily used as the parting agent. The roving band is
26 in. or more wide, depending on the diameter of the part being
wound. Consider winding an 8 ft diameter vessel shell with a
55 deg. wind angle. The roving band would be about 5 in. wide and
consist of 45 strands. (Nine strands per in. of width is typical.) Each
strand has about 5,000 individual fibers; thus the 5 in. band consists
of 225,000 fibers. The creel would hold 45 spools of roving. The
carriage feeding the band onto the mandrel moves axially along the
mandrel to maintain the proper wind angle. When the carriage
reaches the end of the mandrel, it reverses direction, laying down a
band with the opposite slope of the band put down on the first pass.
With a 55 deg. wind angle, the bands would form a helix on the
shell, with a pitch of 211.2 in.; therefore, the bands are widely
spaced. The carriage is carefully controlled so that on the third pass
(the second pass in the original direction), the band is next to the
band made on the first pass. Eventually this process results in the
covering of the mandrel with two plies of material: one with a wind
angle of 55 deg.; the other, 55 deg. The process continues until
the desired thickness is built up. Laminate thickness increases quickly
enough during winding so that the process must be paused to let the
peak exotherm occur, just as in contact molding. After the exotherm

but before the winding is resumed, the laminator usually applies a mat
bedding ply, either by using the hand lay-up method or by using a
chopper gun. The laminate laid down at the ends while the carriage is
reversing has a variable wind angle (from 55 deg. to 0 deg.) as well as
variable thickness, for which reason the laminate is called the turnaround zone. This portion is usually cut off and scrapped.
Filament-wound laminates have of a 60%70% glass content
by weight, considerably higher than mat or matwoven-roving
laminates. Consequently, filament-wound laminates are stronger
and stiffer than the others. Because the process is more automated
than contact molding, the quality is more predictable. Once a
winding setup is working properly, the quality is more repeatable
and the quality control is easier than with contact molding.
Cylinders as small as 1 in. and as large as 80 ft are filamentwound. Mandrels with either horizontal or vertical axes are used,
as are winders on which the mandrel is mounted so that it can be
rotated about more than one axis. These winders can produce vessels complete with heads.

26.3.3

Bag Molding

Only Section X, Class I provides for bag molding. Qualification

of a Class I design is by destructive testing of a prototype. If the
prototype satisfies Section X requirements, vessels identical to the
prototype may be built and receive an ASME RP Stamp. Design
qualification of Class II vessels is by mandatory design rules and
nondestructive acceptance testing. Class I rules are suitable for
mass-produced vessels, whereas Class II rules are used for one-ofa-kind or limited-production equipment. The two classes are discussed more thoroughly later in this chapter.
Figure 26.6 sketches the bag-molding concept. The catalyzed
resinglass mixture is applied to the inside of the mold, the bag is
inserted and pressurized, and the resin is cured either at room
temperature or by the application of heat. The resinglass mixture
may be applied by contact molding; otherwise, the reinforcing
fibers may be a preform, a reinforcement that is preshaped to the
general geometry of the intended molded part, usually by light
pressing or by distribution of chopped fibers of a perforated former. It is used on more complex or deep-draw moldings to optimize the distribution and orientation of the fibers [4]. The
Fabricator may also apply the resin and glass onto the bag and

FIG. 26.5 FILAMENT WINDING

26-8 Chapter 26

high enough speed for the centrifugal force to press the

resinglass mass against the mold. Either room- or elevatedtemperature curing may be used. Centrifugal casting produces
hollow cylindrical parts, such as vessel shells.

26.3.5

FIG. 26.6 BAG-MOLDING CONCEPT

then insert the bag into the mold. Bag molding can produce parts
with a higher glass content than contact molding, as the
reinforcementresin mass is compacted more during bag molding
than during the rolling step of contact molding. Thus bag-molded
parts are stronger and stiffer than contact-molded parts. In addition, bag molding can produce vessels with integral heads.

26.3.4

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

Figure 26.7 is a schematic depiction of centrifugal casting.

Resin, resin catalyst and promoter, and glass fiber are all conveyed to a device that chops the glass and blends the ingredients;
sprays them onto the inside of the mold. The mold rotates at a

Joining Vessel Parts

The aforementioned processes produce vessel parts: shells,

heads, nozzles, and so on. Because the resins governed by the
ASME documents are all thermosets, once cured they will not melt
and solidify into good material. Thus vessel parts cannot be joined
by welding. The industry has developed adhesive-joint techniques
for assembling parts; these are discussed in this section.
Figure 26.8 shows the steps for making the type of butt joint
required by RTP-1 for making head-to-shell or shell-to-shell
girth joints. Bonders apply the structural overlayalso called
strap-pingto the outside of the vessel, which is usually covered
with a film of wax. Air inhibits the cure of most resins used for
vessels, so the common practice is to coat the outside surface of a
part with resin that contains a small fraction of wax. The wax
floats to the surface, preventing the contact of air with the curing
resin and producing a wax film on the outside of the vessel. This
film would interfere with bonding to the surface, so it is therefore
removed before a structural joint is applied. The bonder first sands
the surface to which the joint is to be applied with a coarse abrasive until the wax is removed and the glass fiber is exposed. The
joint plies are then applied by the use of hand lay-up methods.
The joint may be of all-mat-ply construction or of alternate plies
of mat and woven-roving. If the joint is all mat, each ply overlaps
5
the preceding ply by 16
in. If the joint is alternating mat and wovenroving, the woven-roving plies are of the same width as the mat ply
underneath them, and each mat ply extends 12 in. beyond the ply
beneath it. Steps (2) and (3) in Fig. 26.8 illustrate the application of
the structural strapping. Peak exotherms are accommodated the
same way as in making laminates, as discussed previously. The
design rules in RTP-1 govern the thickness of the joint overlay;
their intention is for the joint laminate to be at least as strong as the
stronger of the laminates in the parts being joined and for the over-

FIG. 26.7 CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-9

FIG. 26.8 RTP-1STYLE BUTT JOINT

FIG. 26.9 BELL-AND-SPIGOT JOINT

lay to be wide enough to provide adequate shear strength to carry

the load from the part to the joint overlay to the second part.
The final step (4) of Fig. 26.8 is to make a corrosion seal for the
joint. This seal is made on the inner (process) surface, as shown in
Fig. 26.8, and the seal is a minimum of two plies of 112 mat with an
additional C-veil or nexus veil on the inside. The innermost mat play
is at least 3 in. wide, the next ply extends at least 12 in. beyond the
first, and the veil ply extends at least 12 in. beyond the mat plies.
The joint is applied to cured FRP parts. Therefore, the bond
between the joint and the parts is adhesive; it is not the molecular
bond that forms when the parts are cured. Adhesive bonds are not
as strong as molecular bonds, but they are strong enough to provide safe joints as long as the requirements of the applicable
ASME Standard are satisfied.
Figure 26.9 illustrates the bell-and-spigot joint, another design
detail provided by RTP-1. This joint is used to assemble shell segments or to join the head and shell. The first step in making the
joint is to fit and hold the parts, which is ordinarily done with fixtures. The next step is to apply the resin putty as shown in Fig.
26.9. The resin putty is made of the same resin as the parts being
joined and is thickened with particulate-mineral filler. Recall that
the strapping is put in place and then compacted with a roller. The
resin putty serves as a foundation for the application of the structural strappingthat is, something to press the roller against.
Finally, the corrosion seal is installed.
Figure 26.10 illustrates a Section X, Class II butt jointa variation on the RTP-1 butt joint shown in Fig. 26.8 that constitutes
a head-to-shell joint, although the detail also applies to shell-girth
joints. The difference between the RTP-1 joint and the Section X
joint is that the parts to be joined are scarfed first, as in steel welding, and then the structural overlay is applied. Rules for dimensions of the joint are given in Section X, Article RD-1175 [1].
Both RTP-1 and Section X use the same styles of joints for
attaching nozzles to shells or heads. Figure 26.11 shows one type
of joint a penetrating nozzle in which the nozzle neck protrudes inside the shell or head to which it is attached. The nozzle
neckflange assembly is first attached to the head or shell with

FIG. 26.10 SECTION XSTYLE BUTT JOINT

fixtures or with a few dabs of hot-melt adhesive to hold the nozzle

in place while the attachment laminate is applied. Next, the resin
putty is placed as shown in Fig. 26.11 to provide a base for the
structural attachment layers. Finally, the structural overlay is
installed. Either RTP-1 or Section X, whichever applies, governs
the dimensions of the overlay. Flanges are attached to nozzle
necks by similar joints, and the reinforcing pad is added to minimize stress intensification caused by cutting the hole in the shell
or head on which the nozzle in installed. Reinforcing-pad dimensions are given in Section X or RTP-1, as applicable.

26-10 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.11 PENETRATING-NOZZLE-INSTALLATION-LAMINATE OVERLAYS

26.4

STRESS ANALYSIS OF FRP VESSELS

Simpler RTP-1 or Section X, Class II vessels can be

designed by using design rules found in the ASME Standards,
although many configurations are not governed by these
rules. Both Section X and RTP-1 provide for design-by-stress
analysis, which covers such configurations. Two factors complicate the stress analysis of FRP vessels compared to metal
vessels:
(1) Vessel parts are made of layered composites, in which the
layers have different elastic and strength properties, causing
each layer to have its own stress distribution.
(2) Each type of layer has five distinct strength properties,
which complicates the failure criterion.
This section discusses how these complications are treated.
Lamination analysis provides a way of dealing with the first
complication of the preceding list. Most tanks and vessels have
geometries that allow for valid analysis by the plate-and-shell
theory, which is true of both FRP and metal equipment. A fundamental assumption in the theory is that the variation of strain
through the thickness of a part is linear, or that the plane sec-

tions remain planean idea that Fig. 26.12 illustrates. Sketch

(1) of Fig. 26.12 depicts an undeformed cross section of a laminate with eight laminae. The vertical lines represent the edge
view of planes in the laminate. If an in-plane force were
applied to the laminate, it would deform as shown in sketch (2):
stretching in the load direction and contracting in the other two
directions. The vertical planes would move apart but still
remain parallel. If pure bending were applied, the situation
would be as shown in sketch (3): the vertical planes would
rotate, but remain in plane. Strain in the cross section therefore
varies linearly in the direction normal to the plane of the laminate. The same two kinds of deformation can occur simultaneously from loading normal to the page and also as a result of
twisting; however, the variation of the strain is still linear in the
normal direction.
The foregoing assumption about strain is called the Kirchoff
hypothesis and is fundamental to plate-and-shell theory. It is as
true when applied to FRP laminates as when it is applied to plates
made of homogeneous, isotropic material. In an FRP laminate,
each lamina has a linear stressstrain law, but each type of lamina
has different elastic properties and therefore a different linear
stressstrain law, although the lamina stresses can be computed

FIG. 26.12 PLANE SECTIONS REMAINING PLANE

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-11

from the strain. Lamination theory, a branch of mechanics that

treats this situation, is used to formulate the relationship between
the strain in a plate or shell and the force and moment resultants
in the solid.
As an example of the results of lamination theory, consider the
stress distribution in a 7-ply matwoven-roving laminate 0.271 in.
thick subjected to a tensile force resultant of 500 lb/in. in the principal direction of the woven-roving plies. The laminate construction
is given in Table 26.7. In a homogeneous plate, the stress would be
500/0.271  1,845 psi, but because the two types of ply in the laminate have different elastic properties, the stress is not constant
through the thickness. (Note: please see Table 26.3 for the lamina
properties used in this example.) Figure 26.13 plots the normal
stress in the load direction. Figure 26.14 graphs normal stress in the
direction perpendicular to the load. The strain constitutes the uniform extension in the load direction and the Poissons ratio contractions in the perpendicular direction. Figure 26.13 shows that
the stress in the 4-mat plies is the same (1,235 psi) and that the
stresses in the woven-roving plies are equal at 2,904 psi but
higher than the stress in the mat plies. Stress in the woven-roving
plies, although higher because they are stiffer than the mat plies,
are under the same strain. Both stresses are considerably different

from the stress that would occur in a homogeneous laminate

1,845 psi.
In a homogeneous laminate, stress would vanish in the crossload direction. However, again because of different elastic properties, the Poissons contraction induces stress in the cross-fiber
direction, as shown in Fig. 26.14. Stress in the mat plies is 175 psi
tension; in the woven-roving plies, it is 303.4 psi compression.
The force resultant from these stresses is 0.
As a second example, consider the same laminate subjected to a
22.58 in.-lb/in. bending moment. In a homogeneous laminate, the
maximum bending stress is given by the following familiar equation:
s =

6 * 22.58

6M
t2

0.2712

= 1,845

(26.3)

Figure 26.15 shows that the stresses for laminae 1, 2, and 3 are
1171.4 psi, 1860.2 psi, and 391.5, respectively, all in compression.
The stress in lamina 4 vanishes, whereas the stress in laminae 5,
6, and 7 are symmetric to laminae 3, 2, and 1, respectively, but are
tensile instead of compressive. Note that the maximum bending
stress is not in the extreme fiber. Figure 26.16 gives the ply stresses
in the cross-load direction. In this case, the neutral bending plane is

FIG. 26.13 NORMAL STRESS IN LOAD DIRECTION FOR EXTENSIONAL STRAIN

26-12 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.14 NORMAL STRESS PERPENDICULAR TO LOAD DIRECTION FOR EXTENSIONAL STRAIN

FIG. 26.15 NORMAL STRESS FROM BENDING LOAD IN BENDING DIRECTION

FIG. 26.16 NORMAL STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO BENDING

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-13

at the middle plane, but that is only because this laminate is symmetric about the middle plane.
If a veil and 2-mat corrosion barrier were added, the laminate
would no longer be symmetric and the neutral bending surface
would not coincide with the middle surface. Furthermore, there
are laminates where the neutral plane for bending in one direction
does not coincide with the neutral bending plane for bending in
the perpendicular direction. Fortunately, modern engineering software provides practical ways of treating these complexities.
Engineers analyzing structures built of ductile metals often use
either the von Mises or the Tresca criterion to decide whether a
state of stress is excessive. But in general, an FRP lamina has five
independent strength properites, as discussed in Section 26.2.1.
The Tsai-Wu quadratic interaction criterion is in general use for
layered-composite materials; it represents a generalization of the
von Mises criterion [5] and provides a strength criterion for FRP.
Both RTP-1 (in paragraph M3-530) and Section X (in paragraph RD-1188.5) use the same form of the Tsai-Wu quadratic
interaction criterion. The purpose of the criterion is to distinguish
between stress states that overload any lamina and stress states
that are acceptable. Both standards employ strength ratios for this
purpose. The equations that state the quadratic interaction criterion
in terms of a strength ratio may be written as follows:
R2(FxxS2xx + 2FxySxxSyy + FyyS2yy + FssS2xy)
+ R(FxSxx + FySyy) - 1 = 0

(26.4)

where
Sxx  the normal stress in a principal direction of the lamina in
question
Syy  the normal stress in the other principal direction
Sxy  the shear stress in the plane of the lamina
R  the strength ratio
The other parameters are defined in terms of the five lamina
ultimate strengths, as follows:
1
1
1
F =
F = 2
XXc yy
YYc ss
Su
1
1
1
= - 2FxxFyy
Fx =
2
X
Xc

Fxx =
Fxy

Fy =

1
1
Y
Yc

(26.5)

where
X and Xc  the tensile and compressive strengths in the x
direction, respectively
Y, Yc  the tensile and compressive strengths in the y direction, respectively
Su  the shear strength
Given the five strength values and a stress state, that is, a set of
values for Sx, Sy, and Sxy, equation (26.4) can be solved for R.
This equation is quadratic in R and therefore has two roots for R:
one positive, the other negative. If the positive root is greater than

a value stipulated in Section X or RTP-1 for the layer in question,

the stress state in the layer is acceptable; however, if the positive
root is less than the stipulated value, the stress state is excessive
and not allowed.
The physical meaning of R is that if all three stresses are multiplied by R, the ply is just at the point of failure. Thus R is like a
safety factor; the greater R, the farther from failure the lamina is.
Because the five lamina strength values are different for different
lamina types, and also because the stress varies from lamina to
lamina, the criterion is applied to each layer separately.
Finite-element stress analysis of FRP tanks and vessels take
more time than analysis of metal equipment of comparable configuration. Instead of inputting one or two sets of isotropic material
property values for the entire vessel, the analyst must input a set
of orthotropic values for each type of laminate in the vessel.
Furthermore, instead of simply inputting a plate thickness for
each vessel part of different thickness, the analyst must input an
entire lamination sequence for each part and must also sift
through the stress distribution in each lamina. For example, if a
vessel shell consists of twelve plies of material, the analyst
must check the stress distribution in every ply instead of one
bending and one membrane stress distribution for the entire
part.
Modern finite-element software makes stress-distribution checking a practical task. The analyst can set up a set of material constants for each lamina type in the vessel and then refer to the
property set when he or she inputs data that defines the lamination
sequence. Many software systems that have a capability for
layered-composite plate elements provide efficient ways for
specifying stack-ups and also provide ways of finding the most
highly stressed lamina without the analyst having to view the
stress distribution in every lamina. The Algor post-processor, for
example, produces a worst-ply plot. The program makes colorcontour plots of the reciprocal of the strength ratio, where the
value plotted is the worst 1/R for any lamina at that point on the
vessel. Using this plot, the analyst can quickly isolate areas (if
there are any) where the strength criterion is violated; then, he or
she looks at individual ply plots in those areas to isolate the locations and plies where stress is excessive. Other software systems
have other ways of filtering the voluminous stress output produced by composite-element calculations.
A simpler strength criterion is being introduced into the current
edition of RTP-1, ASME RTP-1-2011. The criterion is intended
for details of design and construction for which no rule is provided
in Subpart 3A, but for which other recognized engineering formulas
exist. They may be accepted by comparing calculated stress with
ultimate laminate strength to establish a minimum design factor.
Other recognized formulas include stress calculations presented in
various sections of the ASME pressure vessel codes, formulas
included in the non-mandatory appendices of RTP-1, and well
documented formulas presented elsewhere.
Combined flexural and membrane stress must comply with the
following inequalities:

smc
St

and

sfc
Sf

1
F10

(26.6)

26-14 Chapter 26

smi
St

sfi
Sf

1
F5

R2d
(26.7)

Where
smc  calculated maximum sustained membrane stress
sfc  calculated maximum sustained flexural stress
smi  calculated maximum combined intermittent and
sustained membrane stress
sfi  calculated maximum combined intermittent and
sustained flexural stress
St  ultimate tensile strength
Sf  ultimate flexural strength
F10  design factor for sustained loads  10
F5  design factor for sustained loads  5
Examples of sustained stress are hydrostatic stress and design
pressure stress. Examples of loads that induce intermittent stress
are wind, earthquake and loads from personnel standing on a vessel. In the two inequalities, maximum stress means the stress with
the largest absolute value. Absolute values of stress are used in
the inequalities.
Quadratic Interaction Damage Criterion Section X, in a previous edition, Peter Conlisk introduced a new strength criterion
based on acoustic emission measurements of FRP samples which
define the lowest stress at which significant damage occurs. The
required tests are defined by Article RT-8 in Section X. For contact
molded laminates, flexural and shear tests are required. For filament wound laminates, a sample filament wound cylinder must be
tested. The values upon which the criterion is based are:
Rd  damage criterion stress ratio  1.25
Sd  damaged based design value with respect to shear stress in
the plane of the laminate.
Xd  tensile and compressive damage based design value in the
x (strong) direction
Yd  tensile and compressive damaged based design value in
the y (weak) direction
 damage criterion design factor  0.75
sx  stress in the lamina material direction x at the point and
lamina under investigation
sy  stress in the lamina material direction y at the point and
lamina under investigation
ss  in-plane shear stress at the point and lamina under investigation
The Quadratic Interaction Design Criterion is:

ca

sxsy
sy 2
sx 2
ss 2
b + a b + a b d 1
Xd
XdYd
Yd
Sd

(26.8)

This criterion is scientifically better than the others in the two

standards, but it is just now being introduced into use.

26.5

SCOPES OF SECTION X AND RTP-1

This section discusses the scope of both Section X and RTP-1.

The scope of Section X is discussed first, followed by that of
RTP-1.

26.5.1

Scope of Section X

Section X has two classes of vessels: I and II, both of which

differ in scope. In brief, the classes are distinguished as follows:
(1) Class I vessel designs are qualified through possibly
destructive fatigue and pressure testing of a prototype.
Vessels similar to the prototype may then be built and the
ASME Code Symbol RP applied, but the prototype itself,
however, may not receive the Code Symbol RP.
(2) Class II vessel design is qualified through mandatory design
rules and nondestructive acceptance testing, which includes
an acoustic-emission (AE) examination.
(3) Class III vessel designs require advanced stress analysis
including ASME Section VIII, Div. 3 analysis for the metallic bosses at each end. Futher the designs are qualified
through possible destructive fatigue and pressure testing of
a prototype like class I but in addition are subject to additional prototype testing including flaw, permeability, boss
torque test, penetration and environmental testing. Finally
an acoustic emission test is performed during the final
hydrotest to further ensure the production vessel is of sound
design. At the present time Class III vessels are limited to
the stationary storage of hydrogen gas.
Table 26.8 gives the pressure scope for Class I vessels.
Vessels with only polar-boss openings must satisfy the following requirements to be eligible for the higher pressure scope:
(1) openings shall be centered on the axis of rotation;
(2) openings shall be of the polar-boss type wound in place on
the axis of revolution;
(3) the boss diameter shall not exceed half the vessel inside
diameter; and
(4) the filaments shall not be cut.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-15

FIG. 26.17 INTERNAL PRESSURE SCOPE FOR SECTION X VESSELS

The pressure scope for Class II vessels is more complicated,

depending on the size of the vessel. As is discussed below, Section
X vessels must be between 6 in. and 192 in. in diameter. There
are two methods for design calculations: Method A that uses
design rules like Section VIII, Division 1, and Method B that
provides for design by stress analysis. Vessels designed by
Method A are limited to 100 psi internal design pressure and 144 in.
diameter.
Vessels designed by Method B rules shall have pressure and
diameter restrictions as follows:
1. The algebraic product of the internal pressure in psig and the
diameter in inches shall not exceed 14,400 lb/in (Equation
26.9).
2. The maximum internal pressure shall not exceed 250 psig.
3. The maximum inside diameter shall not exceed 192 in.
Vessels may be designed using a combination of Methods A
and B. For such vessels the maximum design pressure is limited
to 100 psig with a maximum inside diameter of 144 in. Vessels
designed by either Methods A or B are limited to a maximum
external pressure of 15 psig.
P =

14400
D

(26.9)

where
P is the design pressure in psi and
D is the diameter in in. These rules are expressed by Figure
26.17
The maximum external design pressure for Class II vessels is
15 psig.
The pressure scope for Class III vessels shall not be less than
3000 psig nor more than 15000 psig. The outside diameter of the

liner is further limited to 100 inches and the burst pressure of the
liner shall not exceed 10% of the burst pressure of the vessel.
The design temperature of Section X vessels must not exceed
250F or 35F less than the maximum-use temperature of the
resin, whichever is less. The maximum design temperature of
Section X, Class III vessel shall be at least 35F below the
maximum-use temperature of the resin but in no case shall it
exceed 185F. The minimum design temperature is 65F. The
maximum-use temperature of a resin is either the glass-transition
temperature (TG) or the heat-deflection (also called heat-distortion)
temperature, whichever the Fabricator and resin supplier prefer.
When a polymer is cooler than its TG, it is rigid and hard; when
it is hotter than TG, it is rubbery. The Section X resins are used
below the TG, whereas other resins (such as tire rubber) are used
above it. The elastic modulus of Section X resins drops orders of
magnitude at and above the TG [6]. The heat-deflection temperature is the temperature at which a specified bar specimen deflects
0.01 in. when loaded as a simple beam to a constant 264 psi (see
ASTM D 648, Test Method for Deflection Temperature of
Plastics under Flexural Load, for details). It is usually measured
for resin castings, not laminates [7]. For the resin used in Section
X, the TG and heat-deflection temperatures are approximately
equal. The temperature scope applies to both Class I and Class II
vessels.
Vessels fabricated under Section X intended for Section IV
potable-water use are limited to applications permitted herein.
The vessels are limited to internal pressure only with a maximum
allowable working pressure (MAWP) of 160 psig. The maximum
allowable temperature used shall be 210F [8].
The following classes of vessels are exempted from the scope
of Section X [9].
(1) Pressure containers, which are integral parts of rotating or
reciprocating mechanical devices (e.g., pumps, compressors,
turbines, generators, engines, and hydraulic or pneumatic

26-16 Chapter 26

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)
(7)

cylinders) where the primary design considerations and or

the stresses are derived from the functional requirements of
the device.
Piping systems in which the primary function is to transport
fluids from one location to another within a system of which
it is an integral part.
Piping components, such as pipe, flanges, bolting, gaskets,
valves, expansion joints, fittings, and pressure-containing
parts of other components (e.g., strainers) and devices that
are used for mixing, separating, snubbing, distributing and
metering, or controlling the flow, provided the pressurecontaining parts are generally recognized as piping components or accessories.
Vessels that have any part of their shells, heads, nozzles, fittings, or support laminates heated above the aforementioned
maximum temperature allowable.
Vessels having an inside diameter or maximum internal
cross-sectional dimension not exceeding 6 in. without any
limitation of the length of the vessel or pressure.
Pressure vessels for human occupancy.
Vessels intended to store, handle, transport, or process
lethal fluids.

The jurisdiction of Section X vessels includes only the vessel

and integral communication chambers; it terminates where
(1) the external piping is connected to the vessel at the threaded
first joint, the first circumferential adhesive-bonded joint,
and the face of the first flange in bolted flanged connections;
or where
(2) the lugs, skirts, and other supporting structures are joined
directly to a vessel at the first joint or connection beyond the
vessel, but the attachment of the supporting structure to the
vessel is included in the scope.
Section X vessels are limited to those constructed of thermosetting epoxy, polyestervinyl ester, furan or phenolic resins reinforced by glass, or carbon or aramid fibers.

26.5.2

Scope of RTP-1

The pressure scope of RTP-1 is simpler than that of Section X

and applies to stationary vessels used for the storage, accumulation, or processing of corrosive and other substances at pressures
not exceeding 15 psig external and/or 15 psig internal above any
hydrostatic head. The maximum temperature within the scope of
RTP-1 is not defined. RTP-1, Article 1-130 states only that
applications above 180F require that the designer recognizes
and accounts for possible reduced mechanical properties at
the elevated temperature and possibly decreasing mechanical
properties with time as a consequence of thermal and chemical exposure. Such elevated temperature applications require
special design attention, and consultation with the Resin
Manufacturer is essential.
In this connection, it should be noted that RTP-1 requires a
Registered Professional Engineer experienced in the design of RTP-1
vessels to certify the design, including the design temperature(s).
Certain types of FRP equipment are excluded from the scope of
RTP-1. They are as follows:
(1) vessels with an internal design pressure in excess of 15 psig;
(2) hoods, ducts, and stacks;
(3) fans and blowers;

(4) vessel internals, such as entrainment separators and

packing-support plates;
(5) pumps;
(6) piping; and
(7) underground, fully buried closed vessels
The geometric jurisdiction is similar to Section X. RTP-1
includes the following:
(1) Where external piping is to be connected to the vessel,
(a) the first threaded joint for screwed connections;
(b) the face of the first flange for bolted connections; and
(c) the vessel side sealing surface for proprietary connections
or fittings.
(2) The vessel attachment joint when an attachment is made to
either the external or the internal surface of the vessel.
(3) Covers for vessel openings such as manholes and
hand-holes.
(4) The vessel side sealing surface for proprietary fittings
attached to the vessels for which rules are not provided by
RTP-1, such as gages and instruments.
RTP-1 vessels are limited to those constructed of thermosetting
polyester or vinyl ester, each reinforced by glass fibers.

26.6

DESIGN QUALIFICATIONS OF
SECTION X AND RTP-1 VESSELS

This section discusses design qualification of Section X and

RTP-1 vessels. Design qualification of Section X, Class I vessels
is by destructive testing. Qualification for Class II vessels requires
design calculations and a successful AE examination. RTP-1 vessel designs are qualified by design computations and, in some
cases, by proof testing.

26.6.1

Section X, Class I Design Qualifications

No design calculations are required for Section X, Class I

vessels. Section X does contain Nonmandatory Appendix AA
(Suggested Methods of Preliminary Design for Class I Vessels), but
the Fabricator is not obligated to use it. The Fabricator must build a
prototype of a new design and subject it to a cyclic and a qualification pressure test. Table 26.9a summarizes these requirements.
The pressure qualification test is a type of hydrostatic pressure test. Filament-wound vessels and pipes tend to weep at
pressures considerably less than their burst pressures, that is,
test liquid oozes through the laminate and beads on its surface,
possibly at pressures well below bursting. When this occurs, it
is sometimes difficult to pump the liquid into the test piece
quickly enough to attain the desired test pressure, for which
reason Section X permits the use of a flexible bladder inside the
vessels during the pressure qualification test to attain the qualification pressure. No leakage may occur during cyclic testing,
nor may a liner or bladder be used that is not part of the vessel
design.
When a prototype vessel satisfies these requirements, a vessel
identical to it may be built and marked with the ASME RP Code
Symbol. It may not, however, receive a Code Stamp. Section X
provides a thorough set of quality assurance requirements to
ensure that production vessels are essentially identical to the successful prototype vessel. These requirements are discussed in the
forthcoming paragraphs.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-17

26.6.2

Section X, Class II Design Qualifications

Class II requirements are more similar to those of other sections

of the Code. Section X, Class II requires design computations and
a hydrostatic test, the latter part of an AE examination that is
required for all Class II vessels. Unlike other Code sections, the
Fabricator is required to develop materials data for his or her
design calculations. A Registered Professional Engineer must certify that the design calculations satisfy Section X.
Manufacturers of metal vessels build them of plate and other
metal-product forms that are made of standardized alloys.
Therefore, it is possible to make a compilation of materials data,
such as from Section II, Part D of the Code, and use it as input for
design calculations. However, that approach is not useful for FRP
vessels. Fabricators combine resin and fiber reinforcement to produce vessel components, with results that differ among them.
Neither the Resin Manufacturer nor the Fiber Manufacturer has
control of these differences and therefore cannot certify any particular set of properties for a cured laminate. Section X requires
Fabricators to measure mechanical properties of the laminates
that they produce for use in design computations.
Section X provides two kinds of design calculation: method A
and method B. Method A is design-by-rule analysis, in which the
thicknesses of the pressure-containing parts are given by simple
mathematical expressions in terms of design pressure, dimensions
of the part, and elastic constants of the laminate of which the part is
made. The properties used in method A are effective elastic constants of the laminate taken as a unit, not the elastic properties of
the individual laminae comprising the laminate. To provide material
data for a particular design, the Fabricator must measure the elastic
properties of each type of lamina he or she intends to use in the vessel. The design-basis lamina must be composed of the same resin
and reinforcing fiber that will be used as well as the same catalyst,
promoter, and other additives. Based on the lamina properties, the
design engineer uses lamination theory to calculate the elastic
constants of the laminate. Section X, Article RD-12 contains the

lamination theory equations that are used, which are usually voluminous and possible to perform with a pencil, some paper, and a
slide rule, although ordinarily commercial software is used. It is the
responsibility of the Registered Professional Engineer who certifies
the design to establish that the software used in the design gives
identical results to the equations in Section X. Figure 26.18 shows
the components for which method A rules exist and indicates the
article giving the rule for a particular component.
Method B governs design-by-stress analysis. A set of thicknesses
for vessel parts is chosen and the stress fields are calculated
throughout the vessel for that choice as well as for all relevant
load combinations. The strength criterion specified by Section X
is applied to determine whether the computed stresses satisfy the
criterion. Section X, Article RD-1188 uses a form of the Tsai-Wu
criterion. Given the strain fields in a vessel for a particular load
combination, Section X lays out a procedure for calculating the
strength ratios, but it does not specify how the analysis to determine the strain fields should be implemented.

FIG. 26.18 SECTION X, CLASS II, METHOD

B COMPONENTS

26-18 Chapter 26

Section X, Nonmandatory Appendix AC (Discontinuity Stresses

for Class II Method B Vessels) discusses discontinuity stress analysis, although very few engineers today use discontinuity analysis,
for it has been largely supplanted by finite-element analysisthe
way most method B calculations are done. The Code does not provide rules for deciding whether a given analysis is valid; that is the
responsibility of the Registered Professional Engineer.
No vessel can be designed entirely by method A; every vessel
contains supports, for which method A lacks rules. (The same
comment is true of Section VIII, Division 1.) Article RD-1150
requires that design calculations be provided for internal and
external attachments such as supports. Using a combination of
methods A and B is allowed. There is a very important paragraph
in the preface that states,
The Code contains mandatory requirements, specific prohibitions, and nonmandatory guidance for construction5 activities.
For the Code does not address all aspects of these activities and
those aspects which are not specifically addressed should not be
considered prohibited. The Code is not a handbook and cannot
replace education, experience, and engineering judgment. The
phrase engineering judgment refers to technical judgments
made by knowledgeable designers experienced in the application of the Code. Engineering judgments must be consistent
with Code philosophy and such judgments must never be used
to overrule mandatory requirements or specific prohibitions of
the Code.
In the spirit of this paragraph, Article RD-1186 on attachments
states that the effect of local structural discontinuities from small

TABLE 26.9b
Qualification Test
Hydraulic Pressure
Hydraulic Expansion
Hydraulic Burst
Cyclic Fatigue
Creep
Flaw

Permeation
(for non-metallic liners only)
Torque
Penetration
Environmental

attachments need not be included in the stress analysis of the vessel if, in the opinion of the registered Professional Engineer, they
are insignificant. Thus the engineer may design as many components as possible with the simple rules of method A and supplement these calculations with method B stress analysis, as needed.
He or she may use this experience and informed judgment to
accept some design details without analysis. Section X, Class II
provides a practical, reliable way to design FRP vessels. The AE
examination demonstrates the structural integrity of the vessel.
Section 26.7 presents a design example that has all the components shown in Fig. 26.18.

26.6.3

Section X, Class III Design Qualifications

Design calculations are required for Section X, Class III vessels. Section X, Appendix 8 does not contain mandatory design
rules but does refer to non-linear stress analysis as a basis for
designing the structural walls of these vessels. In addition limits
are placed on the maximum fiber stress of 28.5% for glass fibers
and 44.4% for carbon fibers of the tensile strength of the fibers.
The metallic end bosses are to be designed using applicable
ASME Section VIII, Division 3 rules. The fabricator must build a
prototype of a new design and subject it to a cyclic and qualifications tests as shown in Table 26.9b. The User must provide a
Users Design Specification which enumerates the service conditions for the vessel. In addition a minimum 20 year cycle life is
mandated for this type of vessel.
Since the Class III vessel contains a either a metallic or thermoplastic liner, no leakage is permitted during the hydrostatic, cyclic
or volumetric expansion tests.

SECTION X, CLASS III QUALIFICATION TESTS

Criteria

1.25 Design Pressure & held for 30 min-no leaks

1.25 Design Pressure and expansion limited to 110%
Failure pressure to be at least 3.5 design pressure for glass fibers and 2.25 design pressure for
carbon fibers
Cycle from 10% of design pressure to design pressure for a minimum of 2.6 the design cycle life
without leakage or failure
Vessel shall be pressured to 1.25 design pressure at 185F and held for 2000 hr then subject to a leak
and burst test and satisfy the criteria for the leak and burst test.
Two vessels are tested with two longitudinal flaws cut into shell. One is subject to a burst test and the
other to a fatigue test. The burst test shall be a minimum of 2 times design pressure and the fatigue
test shall last a minimum of 1000 cycles without leakage.
Vessel shall be filled with 5% hydrogen and 95% nitrogen, placed in a sealed container and monitored
for 500 hours leak rate to be less than 0.15 std/cc per hour per liter of vessel volume.
Boss fittings shall be tighted to 150% for specified torque and a leak test at design pressure conducted
without leaks or damage to the threads.
Vessel is pressurized to design pressure and subject to an impact from an armor piercing bullet of
0.3 in. dia or greater. at 45 degrees to the sidewall without rupture.
The vessel shall be impacted in 5 spots along the shell by a pendulum with an impact energy of 22.1 ft-lbs
then subject to exposure for 48 hours with sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, gasoline, ammonium
nitrate and windshield washer fluid. The vessel is cyclic pressurized from 10% of design pressure to
125% design pressure for 3000 cycles then held at 125% design pressure without leaks or rupture.

5
The term construction, as used in this Foreword, is an all-inclusive term that comprises materials, design, fabrication, examination, inspection, testing, certification, and
pressure relief.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-19

Finally an acoustic emission examination is performed during

the hydrostatic testing of the production vessel with acceptance
criteria given in para. 8-620(b)(7)(e).
When a prototype vessel satisfies these requirements, a vessel
identical to it may be built and marked with the ASME RP Code
symbol stamp. It may not, however, receive a Code Stamp unless
it passes the quality control requirements to ensure the production vessels are essentially identical to the successful prototype
vessel.

26.6.4

Design Qualifications of RTP-1 Vessels

Design qualifications of RTP-1 vessels resemble those for

Section X, Class II. The RTP nomenclature is slightly different:
Subpart 3A design is analogous to the method A design in Section
X and Subpart 3B is analogous to the method B design. Part 3 of
RTP pertains to design; Subparts 3A and 3B are subsets of Part 3,
the former covering design-by-rule analysis, the latter covering
design-by-stress analysis.
Figures 26.19 and 26.20 sketch the components for which
Subpart 3A rules are available. The notes on the drawings refer to
the articles in RTP-1 that cover the indicated detail. The NM
notesfor example, the note indicating the footprint load on the
top of the vessel in Fig. 26.20refer to nonmandatory provisions.
That means that RTP-1 may be satisfied by using the component
design in the NM article, although the provision is not compulsory.
RTP-1 introduced a new pressure containing component: flat
sandwich plates with balsa cores. Non-mandatory Appendix NM15 Flat Cored Plate Design. Mandatory Appendix M-13 Balsa
Wood Receiving and Inspection Procedures provide quality
assurance requirements for the balsa.
RTP-1 defines the footprint load as a 250 lb vertically downward load that is distributed uniformly over a 16 in.2 compact
area, an area with an aspect ratio close to 1.0 (e.g., a circle or
square). The footprint-load requirement is intended to prevent
damage to the vessel if someone stands on it, such as the time
when the piping is connected to a nozzle on the top head.
Because RTP-1 vessels may have very low design pressures, the

FIG. 26.20 AVAILABLE DESIGN BY SUBPART

3A COMPONENTS (CHART 2 OF 2)

footprint-load requirement may dictate the thickness of a top

head. Although the collection of components covered by
Subpart 3A is more complete than the method A collection in
Section X, neither has the variety available in Section VIII,
Division 1.
Material properties for design are treated differently in Subpart
3A than they are in Section X. RTP-1 requires the results of
mechanical properties tests on samples cut from complete laminates, as opposed to tests on individual laminae. The property
tests must be run on all types of laminates used.
The strength criterion required by Subpart 3B rules, like
method B in Section X, is based on the Tsai-Wu quadratic
interaction criterion. However, there are differences in the way
the criterion is applied.
Sections 26.726.10 provide a series of design examples illustrating design calculation and specification of all the components
shown in Figs. 26.19 and 26.20.

26.6.5

FIG. 26.19 AVAILABLE DESIGN BY SUBPART 3A

COMPONENTS (CHART 1 OF 2)

Design Qualification Overview

Design qualification in Section X Class I is empirical, based

on a thorough prototype testing. Class II design is based partly
on calculation, partly on testing. Material testing provides material
properties, calculation establishes the part dimensions and
thicknesses, and an AE examination gives an experimental verification of the design. Section X, Class III design is based on
advanced stress analysis and thorough prototype testing with the
additional requirement of a an AE examination to verify the
design during the hydrostatic test of the production vessel. RTP-1
design is based either entirely or largely on measured material
properties and calculation, and it does not require hydrostatic
testing of vessels with design pressures less than 0.5 psig and
diameters not exceeding 12 ft For larger vessels or those with
design pressures greater than 0.5 psig, a hydrostatic test is
required. All three methods are based on long experience and produce safe, reliable vessels.

26-20 Chapter 26

26.7

SECTION X EXAMPLE: DESIGN

SPECIFICATION

Section X, Article RG-310 states the requirement for a Design

Specification as follows in a single paragraph:
The User, or an agent acting in his behalf, requiring that a vessel
be designed, fabricated, tested and certified to be a vessel complying with this Section, shall provide or cause to be provided for
such a vessel information as to operating conditions, including
intended use and material compatibility with the contents, in
such detail as will provide the basis for design, material selection, fabrication, and inspection in accordance with this Section.
This information will be designated hereinafter as the Design
Specification.
Figure 26.21 is a sketch of a Section X vessel suitable for use
in a Design Specification. The vessel is a reactor with internal
design pressure of 40 psig that will be filled with 1.2 specific
gravity liquid coincident with the internal design pressure. The
empty reactor will also be subjected to 10 psig external pressure.
The design temperature is 150F for both internal and external
design pressures. Acme 105 vinyl ester resin, reinforced by glass
fibers, is determined to be suitable for the liquids the User intends
to process in the reactor. The User desires the Fabricator to
choose the brand of reinforcing glass fiber. The contents are corrosive, so the User requires a conventional-veil-ply and 2-mat-ply
corrosion barrier. In addition, the User requires a visual inspection
level 2. (Visual inspection and other quality control provisions are
discussed later in this section.)
Many FRP vessels require corrosion barriers, but Section X
does not provide rules for their construction (although it does
allow their use). Section VIII treats liners the same way. For
example, many steel vessels have rubber liners that are
required to prevent excessive corrosion. Without the proper
design and installation of the liners, these vessels would not be
safe and reliable. Section VIII leaves the task of design and
installation to the Manufacturer, and similarly, Section X

FIG. 26.21 SECTION X DESIGN EXAMPLE

leaves the task of design and installation of corrosion barriers

to the Fabricator. The nontreatment of liners and corrosion barriers is a good example of the following statement from the
preface of Section X:
The Code does not address all aspects of these activities and
those aspects which are specifically addressed should not be considered prohibited.
Table 26.10 is an example of a Design Specification for a
Section X vessel. The first set of entries gives the vessel designation in addition to the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and
e-mail addresses of the User, the Users Agent, and the individual
who prepared the Design Specification.
The final version of the Design Specification is often a collaboration between the User and the Fabricator. However, the
Design Specification is a key part of the Users request for quotation. Thus, so that the Fabricators bids are comparable, it is wise
for the User to develop a complete, thorough Design
Specification.
In this example, the User has chosen the resin and therefore
accepts responsibility for compatibility of the resin with vessel
contents. If the User had wished the Fabricator to select the
resin, the User would have needed to make a complete disclosure of the vessel contents, including any changes in the contents
composition during the chemical reactions occurring in the vessel. It is obvious that the person who selects the resin must
understand what the vessel will contain, but sometimes Chemical
Manufacturers regard such information as proprietary. If they want
to keep the composition of the contents secret, they must choose
the resin themselves.
Because the reactor will be installed indoors, there are no snow,
rain, or wind loads. Unprotected FRP is subject to damage from
the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun. Therefore, if the vessel will be
stored outdoors for a long period before it is installed, the User
would need to inform the Fabricator. The Fabricator would then
recommend an ultraviolet inhibitor for the final coat of resin or a
pigmented-gel coat on the outside of the vessel.
The Users Design Specification should contain any information necessary to the Fabricator but not governed by Section X.
For example, the corrosion barrier should be specified, and
although tolerances on nozzle locations are important as well,
they are not provided in Section X and should thus be included in
the Design Specification. Scheduling, shipping, delivery, payment, and other commercial arrangements must be worked out
and possibly documented in the Design Specification.
Nozzle elevations are measured from the bottom of the skirt. It
is tempting to reference them from the bottom tangent line, but
that location is not easily located in a finished FRP vessel.
Consider Fig. 26.10, which shows a head-to-shell joint. The thick,
bulging joint overlay conceals the exact location of the tangent
line.
Section X, Class II vessels are required to satisfy visual inspection criteria, but they apply only to the structural part of the laminate. A visual inspection of defects, such as pits and bubbles, are
at least as important in the corrosion barrier; however, Section X
does not cover them, for which reason the Users Design
Specification should provide criteria for such an inspection.
Article 6-940 and Table 6-1 of RTP-1, however, do contain such
criteria that are suitable for use with Section X equipment. The
User could reference the RTP-1 provisions in the Design
Specification.
All too often, a Users Design Specification lists several national
standards on FRP equipment, such as RTP-1, Section X, ASTM

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-21

pipe-and-tank standards, and the now-obsolete National Bureau of

Standards PS15-69 document. The Users standard imposes all of
them on the same vessel and states something to the effect of in
case of conflicts among these standards, the most stringent shall

applypractice that invites chaos. In the authors experience,

RTP-1 for tanks and low-pressure vessels and Section X for higherpressure vessels, together with a good Users Design Specification,
shall suffice.

26-22 Chapter 26

TABLE 26.12 LAMINATE PROPERTIES FOR EXAMPLE 1

DESIGN CALCULATIONS

E1
E2
E1f
E2f
v1
v2
v1f
v2f

26.8

1.666  106 psi

1.785  106 psi
1.778  106 psi
1.681  106 psi
0.24
0.22
0.239
0.226

SECTION X: EXAMPLE DESIGN

CALCULATIONS

Design calculations for the vessel in the Design Specification of

Table 26.10 are presented in the following paragraphs. Table 26.11
lists the design calculations and the section numbers of this chapter where they are presented.
The vessel will be constructed of matwoven-roving laminate.
Section X requires the use of lamina properties coupled with
lamination analysis to determine the laminate properties for use in
method A design. (See Table 26.3 earlier in the chapter for a list
of mat- and woven-roving lamina properties.) They were used
together with the lamination theory equations in Section X, Article
RD-12 to obtain the mechanical properties of the matwovenroving laminate listed in Table 26.12. In that table and in the
design formulas that follow, the following symbols are used:
E1  the axial tensile modulus
E2  the hoop tensile modulus
E1f  the axial flexural modulus
E2f  the hoop flexural modulus
v1  Poissons ratio for stress in x direction and contraction in
y direction
v2  Poissons ratio for stress in y direction and contraction in
x direction
v1f  Poissons ratio for bending stress in x direction and
contraction/expansion in y direction
v2f  Poissons ratio for bending stress in y direction and
contraction/expansion in x direction
Section X, Class II does not allow the thickness of the corrosion barrier to be considered as contributing to structural strength.
Therefore, even though the vessel would have a corrosion barrier,
it is not included in the forthcoming calculations.

26.8.1

Component Pressures

The internal pressure used in design computations for each

component is the sum of the design pressure and the hydrosta-

tic pressure at the component. This pressure is given by the

following
P  Pd  h

(26.10)

where
Pd  the design pressure
y  the weight density
h  the vertical distance of the component to the surface of the
liquid contents
The distance of h is measured to the centerline of nozzles in the
shell, to the deepest point on nozzles in the heads, to the bottom
tangent line of the shell, to the location where the heads and shell
abut for the joints, and to the deepest points in the heads. The
weight density, , is the product of the specific gravity and the
weight density of water, which is 0.0361 lb/in.3; thus   0.0433
lb/in.3. The external pressure is the same for all components 10
psig. Table 26.13 lists the internal pressures.

26.8.2

Top and Bottom Heads

To safely resist internal pressure, Section X requires that the

thickness of a 2:1 ellipsoidal head be at least equal to t as given
by (RD-1173.1):
PD
t1 =
2(0.001E)
(26.11)
where
E  the lesser of E1 and E2 from Table 26.12  1.666  106 psi
P  the component pressure given in Table 26.13  41.34 psig
(top head)
D  the inside diameter of the head  96 in.
When these values are inserted in the equation (26.11), the
result is t  1.191 in., which is similar to an equation in Section
VIII, Division 1, except for the 0.6 knockdown factor in the
denominator. In this case, however, the allowable stress has been
replaced by 0.001E, which is 1,666 psi. The head must also resist
an external pressure of 10 psig. Article RD-1173.2 gives the following equation for the maximum allowable external pressure,
PA, for an elliptical head of thickness, t.
E
0.41a bt2
F
PA =
(26.12)
33(1 - v1v2)(K0D0)2

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-23

Where
K0  a numerical factor from Table 1173.2 in Section X that
is a function of the ratio of major to minor axes of the
head (for the ratio  2, K0 0.9)
F  the design factor  10
D0  D  2t  98.412 in., using the thickness required for
internal pressure
1,2  Poissons ratio given in Table 26.12
When inserted into equation (26.12), these values yield PA 
7.739 psig, which is less than design external pressure of 10 psig.
Equation (26.12) cannot readily be solved for t, because D0
depends implicitly on t. D0  D  t could be substituted into the
equation, which could then be solved for t. The result would be a
rather messy quadratic equation for t. It is easier to have a program such as Mathcad solve the equation, or else to use a cut-andtry method. A Mathcad solution for t with PA  10 psig gives t 
1.377 in. Thus the minimum thickness for the top head, governed
by external pressure, is 1.377 in.
Equation (26.11) also applies to the bottom head, but in this
case P  48.61 psig. All the other values that go into equation
(26.11) are the same. The result is t  1.425 in. As far as
external pressure is concerned, the top and bottom heads have
the same load, geometry, and material properties, so the
required thickness is the same at 1.377 in. However, because
this is less than the thickness required for internal pressure, it
is the internal pressure that governs the thickness of the bottom
head.
Thicknesses given by design formulas can usually not be built
exactly, because they do not correspond to a real laminate sequence.
A real laminate must have an integral number of plies. In the
notation of Table 26.6, the next practical laminate closest to, but not
thinner than, 1.377 in. is the one with a sequence of five sets of
3(MR) followed by one M, which comes out to 1.40 in. if mat plies
are assumed to be 0.043 in. thick and woven roving plies are
assumed to be 0.033 in. thick. Similarly, the actual laminate for the
bottom head-calculated thickness of 1.425 in. is 1.474 in., which has
a laminate sequence of five sets of 3(MR), M followed by MRM.
This could also be written 5[3(MR), M], MRM.

26.8.3

Shell-Design Computations

For this choice of values:

t1  0.685 in.
t2  1.279 in.
Thus the internal-pressure hoop stress governs, and the minimum allowed is t  1.28 in.
Both Section X and RTP-1 have adopted new and more complicated rules for computing the allowable external pressure on a
cylindrical part, and both standards adopted the same rules. The
new treatment is simplified version of the rigorous NASA SP8007 solution for lateral and longitudinal external pressure. The
equations use more material properties. Previously, hoop and
axial tensile modulii and hoop and axial Poissons ratios were
needed. Now, the equations use all the properties in Table 26.12
except hoop tensile modulus, E2. The four elastic modulii may be
obtained by testing or by lamination theory calculations. The four
Poissons ratios are ordinarily calculated.
In addition to the dimensions used in the example above, the
design length for external pressure design and the shell thickness
are required. The design length is defined the same way by RD1172.1 of Section X and 3A-310 of RTP-1, and it is taken as the
greatest of the following:
1. The distance between head tangent lines plus one-third the
depth of each formed head, if there are no stiffening rings
(excluding conical heads and sections).
2. The distance between cone-to-cylinder junctions for vessels
with cone or conical heads if there are no stiffening rings.
3. The greatest center-to-center distance between any two adjacent stiffening rings.
4. The distance from the center of the first stiffening ring to the
formed head tangent line plus one-third the depth of the
formed head (excluding conical heads and sections), all measured parallel to the axis of the vessel.
5. The distance from the first stiffening in the cylinder to the
cone-cylinder junction.
To continue the example, let L  144 in. The above calculation
gives a thickness of 1.3 in. Then the OD of the cylinder is 96 
2(1.3)  98.6 in. The equations in RD-1172.1 for calculating the
allowable external pressure, PA, are:

Article RD-1171.1 gives the following rule for the minimum

thickness of a cylindrical shell subjected to internal pressure: The
minimum shell thickness shall be the greater of t1 or t2,
where
PR
t2 =
0.001E2
t1 =

PR
2(0.001E1)

KD 0.8531 g E 42f E14 t 2

3

D0 2
(1 - v1fv2f) L a b F
2
3
4

(26.13)

(26.14)

Equation (26.13) is based on the membrane stress in the axial

direction; equation (26.14), on the hoop membrane stress. The
allowable stress is 0.001 times the relevant modulus, discounted by
0.6P. The symbols are as defined previously, except for R, which is
the inside radius of the shell. The numerical values are as follows:
P  47.58 psig from Table 26.13
E1  1.666  106 psi (from Table 26.12)
E2  1.785  106 (also from Table 26.12)
R  48 in

PA =

(26.15)

where:
D0  the outside diameter of the shell
KD  0.84, a knockdown factor
F  design factor  5
and the other symbols are defined above. The parameter  is
defined by:
g = 1 - 0.001 Zp
g = 0.9
Zp is given by:

if Zp 100
if Zp 7 100

(26.16)

26-24 Chapter 26

E2  the tensile hoop modulus

Ss  the secondary bond strength in shear  1,000 psi maximum
At the bottom joint, P  47.58 psi, R  48in., E2  1.786 
106 psi, and t  1.3 in.; we will take Ss  1,000 psi. Given these
values, L0  11.42 in. and t0  1.314 in. The same practical laminate schedules used for the shell can be used here, so the actual
overlay thickness is 1.355 in. with a stack-up of 5[3(MR), M].
The top-joint overlay dimensions are calculated the same way
and with the same numbers except that P  41.34 psi. The resulting dimensions are L0  9.92 in. and t0  1.138 in. The practical
laminate has a stack-up of 4[3(MR), M], MM and is 1.17 in. thick.
After laying down each 3(MR), M, the laminator must wait for the
peak exotherm and then resume with an M ply. Therefore, finishing the overlay with three M plies was a good choice for the most
economical acceptable overlay.
FIG. 26.22 HEAD-TO-SHELL JOINT DIMENSIONS

Zp =

E2f2 E 21
E21f

(1 - v1f v2f)2

L2
D0
a tb
2

(26.17)

When inserted in (26.17) the values above give Zp  353.4,

which is greater than 100 and thus   0.9. Then the value of PA
from (26.15) is 9.3 psi, which is less than the required 10 psi
(Table 26.10). Using ply thicknesses from Table 26.2, the thinnest
laminate with an integral number of plies that is at least 1.3 in
thick is 5[3(MR),M], or 1.355 in thick. With t  1.355 in, Z p 
338.9,   0.9 and PA  10.3 psi, which satisfies the requirement.
The internal pressure requires t  1.3 in. But the closest practical stack-up is 5[3(MR),M] which has nominal thickness 1.355 in,
and which satisfies the external pressure requirement.
Section X included a new Non-mandatory Appendix AI Rigorous
NASA SP-8007 Solution for Lateral and Longitudinal Pressure
which gives an example of the use of the rigorous solution. RTP-1
introduced Non-mandatory Appendix NM-16, External Pressure
Design Example for Cylindrical Shells. It has the same example as
the Section X appendix.

26.8.4

Shell-to-Head Joints

Figure 26.22 indicates the two dimensions of the joint: t0 is the

overlay thickness and Lo is the length of overlay on each side of
the joint. RD-1175.2 provides the following simple formulas for
t0 and L 0:
t0 =

P(R + t)
0.001E2

L0 =

PR
2(Ss>F)

where
P  the pressure at the center of the joint
t  the shell thickness
F  the design factor  10

(26.18)

(26.19)

26.8.5

Nozzle, Nozzle Attachment, and Reinforcing

Pad Design

Table 26.14 is a reproduction of Table RD-620.1 from Section

X; it gives the dimensions of nozzles and their flanges constructed
of contact-molded and pressure-molded FRP. Nozzles and flanges
of these dimensions satisfy the design requirements of Section X.
Flanges or nozzle designs not listed in this table can be designed
by using Article RD-1176, a method that represents an adaptation
of Mandatory Appendix 2 of Section VIII, Division 1 (Rules for
Bolted Flange Connections with Ring-Type Gaskets) to full-faced
gasket flanges. In the Section X version of the method, many of
the methods stress factors are given by graphs; in the Section VIII
version, the same factors are used, but they are provided here in
both graphical and equational forms. For anybody considering
computerizing the method, the equational forms of the stress factors are much more convenient to use than the graphical forms.
Table 26.15 lists the nozzle and flange dimensions for the
example vessel, which are taken from Table 26.14 and are for
50 psig. Table 26.16 lists practical and minimum allowable thicknesses for the nozzles. The columns labeled minimum represent
the minimum allowable dimensions for 50 psig; those labeled
actual represent the dimensions corresponding to laminates
with practical stack-ups.
Each nozzle has attachment overlays and a reinforcing pad.
Figure 26.23 shows these dimensions. The dimensions to be calculated are Lb, the length of the secondary overlay on the nozzle
neck; tb, the thickness of the secondary overlay; Lp, the length the pad
will extend from the nozzle neck; and tp, the thickness of the
reinforcing pad. RD-1174.2 has an algorithm for obtaining these
dimensions. The calculated attachment laminate length, Lbc, is given by
FPr
Lbc =
2Ss
(26.20)
where
F  the design factor  10
P  the internal pressure at the nozzle
r  the inside radius of the nozzle
Ss  the secondary shear bond strength in shear (1,000 psi
maximum)
If Lbc < 3 in., then Lb  3 in.; otherwise, Lb  Lbc.
The calculated overlay thickness, tbc, is given by the following
equation:

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-25

26-26 Chapter 26

tbc =

Pr
Ss - 0.6P

(26.21)

If tbc < 0.25 in., then tb  0.25 in.; otherwise, tb  tbc, As an

example, consider the manway opening. Here, P  46.02 psig
and r  12 in.; let Ss  1,000 psi. In this case, Lbc  2.761 in.;
thus, Lb  3 in. The tbc  0.333 in., which is greater than 0.25 in.;
therefore, tb  0.333 in.
The thickness of the reinforcing pad shall be the greater of the
following:
(1) A thickness of secondary overlay with strength equivalent
to the tensile strength in the circumferential direction of the
shell thickness removed, tp1.
(2) A thickness of secondary overlay, tp2, that when added to
the shell thickness reduces the bending stress at the opening
to an allowable level. The allowable bending stress is
defined as 0.1% of the flexural modulus of the reinforcing
laminate in its circumferential direction.
Thickness tp1 is given by the following equation:

tp1 =

PR
0.001E2

(26.22)

Section X defines E2 as the tensile modulus of the secondary

overlay in the circumferential direction. Because the direction of
the woven-roving laminae in secondary overlays is usually not
controlled, E2 in this equation shall be taken as the lesser of the
two tensile moduli. Therefore, to compute the reinforcing pad
dimensions, E2  1.686  10 psi. Section X gives the following
procedure for computing tp2:
Step (1) Compute the factor:
23(1 - v1v2)
r
b
a
2
2Rt
4

b =

(26.23)

The symbols in equation (26.23) are as defined previously.

Step (2) Using from step (1), obtain a Kt factor from
Fig. 26.24, which is the relevant curve from Fig. RD-1174.3 in
Section X.
Step (3) Compute the maximum stress at the opening, Smax:
Smax = S2Kt.

FIG. 26.23 NOZZLE-ATTACHMENT-LAMINATE AND REINFORCING-PAD DIMENSIONS

(26.24)

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-27

FIG. 26.24 Kt AS A FUNCTION OF B

where
S2  0.001E2
E2  the circumferential tensile modulus of the shell
(Note: There are a lot of E2s floating around in the nozzle
design; please do not be confused.)
Step (4) Determine from the following equation the moment, M,
associated with Smax being applied at the edge of the opening:
M =

Smax t2
6

(26.25)

where
t  the vessel thickness
Step (5) Determine the thickness of reinforcement, tpb, that will
reduce the stress imposed by M to the allowable Sf, defined as
0.001Ef (where Ef is the flexural modulus of the reinforcing laminate in the circumferential direction). Assume an equivalent
moment to be M/ 2.
M
6a b
2
- t
tt2 =
Q Sf
(26.26)
The thickness of the reinforcing pad, tp, shall be the greater of
tp1 or tp2.
Let us return to the manway opening example. The input values
are as follows:
P  46.02 psig
R  48 in.
r  12 in.
E2  1.686  106 psi
v1  0.24
v2  0.22
Ef  1.732  106 psi
t  1.3 in.
Given these values, equation (26.22) yields tp1  1.238 in.,
equation (26.23) gives  0.986, and Fig. 26.24 gives Kt  8.14.

Equation (26.24) then provides Smax  14,520 psi, equation

(26.25) renders M  4,091 in.-lb/in., and, finally, equation (26.26)
furnishes tp2  1.362 in. The greater of tp1 and t2p is 1.362 in.; thus
the minimum acceptable reinforcing pad thickness is 1.362 in.
Reinforcing pad length provisions are similar to attachment
overlay provisions: There is a calculated length as well as a minimum length, the latter dependent on the nozzle size. The calculated
pad length, Lpc, is given by the following equation:
Lpc =

pLcPF
4Ss

(26.27)

Table 26.17 states the minimum pad length requirements. The

required pad length is the greater of Lpc or the length in Table 26.17.
Recall that Lc is the maximum chord length of the opening.
Hillside nozzles and those nozzles installed in the shell so that the

26-28 Chapter 26

nozzle axis does not intersect the shell axis have Lc greater than
the nozzle diameter.
The manway centerline intersects the vessel centerline and is
normal to it so that Lc  24 in. From the foregoing values, Lpc 
8.674 in., but the minimum value in Table 26.17 is 12 Lc or 12 in.
Thus Lp  12 in. for the manway.
In the same way, the attachment laminate and reinforcing pad
dimensions were calculated for the other nozzles, the results of
which are contained in Table 26.18. None of the thicknesses in
Table 26.18 correspond to laminates with integral numbers of
plies. Table 26.19 provides these thicknesses, together with realizable lamination schedules.
This completes the part of the design example that can be done
with Section X method A rules. What remains is to calculate the
required skirt thickness, which is done in the next section by
using methods available to engineers familiar with the design of
FRP structural components.

26.8.6

Support Skirt Design

Because the vessel will be installed indoors, and also because

there are no earthquake loads, the only structural requirement on
the skirt is that it supports the weight of the vessel and its contents. It must withstand direct stress and it must not buckle. In
accordance with the design of the shell, the allowable stress is set
at 0.001E, where E is the axial modulus. The critical buckling
stress, scr , is given by the following equation:
0.3Et
scr =
R
(26.28)
where
E  the axial modulus of the skirt
t  the thickness of the skirt
R  the radius of the skirt
The allowable buckling stress is 15scr. Equation (26.28) is used
in Nonmandatory Appendix 3 of RTP-1, Article NM3-321, and is
valid when the length of the skirt is more than several times Lc 
1.72(Rt)0.5, the critical length. The stress in the skirt,
, is simply
the supported weight divided by the cross-sectional area. The supported weight W  56,500 lb, which was computed by ordinary
methods; the axial modulus E  1.666  106 psi; and R  48 in.
Let us take t  0.317 as a trial value for the thickness, corresponding to the lamination schedule 3(MR), MM. In addition, Lc  6.71 in.,
the length of the skirt60 in.is 8.9 times Lc, and equation
(26.22) applies. The applied stress is computed as follows:
W
s =
(26.29)
p[(R + t)2 - R2]

For this case, equation (26.29) gives s = 589 psi. The critical
buckling stress from equation (26.28) is 3,301 psi; when divided
by Fb  5, the stress equals 660 psi. The allowable stress from a
material strength standpoint is 0.001E  1,666 psi. The applied
stress is less than either allowable stress, so therefore the skirt
thickness is acceptable.

26.9

RTP-1: EXAMPLE 1 DESIGN

SPECIFICATION

Figure 26.25 is a sketch of the first RTP-1 design example: a

flat-bottomed storage tank with nozzles that can be designed with
Subpart 3A rules. Typical tanks have more nozzles, but the nozzles presented in Fig. 26.25 illustrate Subpart 3A design rules as
well as many would.
The tank is intended for outdoor service in an area with
Seismic Zone 0, so therefore the tank must withstand wind but
not seismic loads. In addition, it is located in an area where
building codes require outdoor structures to support a 35 lb/ft2
snow load. The tank will contain liquid with a specific gravity of
1.2. RTP-1 requires the purchaser, or his or her agent, to complete a Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS), which
is RTP-1s Design Specification. (The completed UBRS for the
tank is found in Appendix 26.A.) Most entries in the UBRS are
self-explanatory, but some are not, particularly to those unfamiliar with FRP. Such UBRS entries are discussed in the following
paragraphs.
Parts 6.00 and 7.00 in the UBRS concern the choice of construction materials. There is a set of entries appropriate for the User who
selects the resin and another for the User who wants the Fabricator
to select the resin. In the present example, the User selects
Derakane 470, basing the decision on personal experience. Items
7.10, 7.20, 7.50, and 7.60 therefore need not be filled in. Items 7.30
and 7.40 are required for design of the tank, and if the User requires
the Fabricator to choose the resin, these items must be completed
because they give the Fabricator a basis for selection.
The Users standard cited in 8.00 would contain technical and
possibly commercial matters not covered by RTP-1. For example,
RTP-1 does not give tolerances on nozzle location, for which reason a Users Design Specification should state them.
In 11.00, there is an entry for man load, which provides for a
person standing on the top head, but Articles 3A-340 and 3B-300
state the same requirement. A reason for including a provision for
the man load in the UBRS is to remind the User that there may be
a different, more demanding man-load requirement.
Section 19.00 deals with the recording of the Inspectors designation. Three individuals named in RTP-1, Article 1-400 are con-

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-29

FIG. 26.25 RTP-1, EXAMPLE 1 DESIGN AND SPECIFICATION

cerned with various aspects of inspection: a Certified Individual,

an Inspector, and an inspector. RTP-1, Article 1-400 delineates
their roles as follows:
This Standard requires that specific inspections be carried out
by Inspection Personnel experienced in the fabrication of RTP
vessels. In addition, other inspections may be carried out as a part
of the Fabricators Quality Control Program. Throughout this
Standard, Inspection Personnel are referred to as either inspector(s) (lowercase i), Inspectors (uppercase I), or Certified
Individual(s) (uppercase CI).
A Certified Individual is an employee of the Fabricator authorized
by ASME to use its marks. The Certified Individuals principal
responsibility is to protect the ASME mark by carrying out the duties
described in this Standard (RTP-1). He can also be the Inspector.
An Inspector is an individual who shall be mutually acceptable
to the User and Fabricator and shall carry out his duties in accord
with this Standard. An Inspectors reporting relationship to management must be independent of the Fabricators production and
marketing groups. He can also be the Certified Individual or the
inspector, but not both.
An inspector is an individual engaged in inspection activities
during the course of fabrication, usually as a function of quality

control. He can be the Inspector, but he cannot be the Certified

Individual.
The following paragraphs demonstrate the application of
Subpart 3A rules to the tank. Material properties are considered
first, followed by the design of the top head, the design of the
shell and flat bottom, the design of the nozzles, nozzle reinforcements,
and attachment overlays, and finally the design of hold-down lugs
to resist wind forces. Table 26.20 lists the section numbers of this
chapter where component calculations are given.

26.9.1

Laminate Properties

The tank will be built of matoven-roving laminates as in the

previous example, but the laminates will be thinner and will
include the corrosion barrier in the calculation of the vessels
strength RTP-1 permits. For these reasons, the laminates will have
a higher proportion of mat than in the previous example.
Consequently, the modulus and strength will be somewhat less
and the Poissons ratio will be higher. RTP-1 Fabricators are
required to obtain laminate properties for design by testing laminates of the same construction, resin, and glass that they intend to
use in the vessel. Table 26.21 lists a typical set of properties,
which will be used in the example.

26-30 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.26 STRESS FUNCTIONS FOR FOOTPRINT

LOADING

26.9.2

graph in RTP-1 can be read to four figures, as the text seems to

imply. Appendix 11 was derived from an article by Eric Reissner
that gives a solution to the problem in terms of Coulomb functions
[10]. The author of this chapter wrote a Mathcad worksheet based
on the paper from which the values of Gt and Gb were obtained.)
Because the snow load applies an external pressure, the head
must be checked for elastic stability. Article 3A-320 of RTP-1
gives the following formula for the minimum allowed thickness
for an F&D head subjected to external pressure, Pd:
t = Rc a

Top Head Design

Because the tank is vented, there is no internal pressure in the

top head. It must, however, withstand two loads: the snow load of
35 psf (0.243 psi) and the man load of 250 lb on a 16 in.2 area.
As it is possible that someone would want to clear snow from
the top of the tank, the loads will be treated as acting simultaneously. Nonmandatory Appendix 11 of RTP-1 provides a method
for calculating the stress in the center of an F&D head under the
footprint load. The stress would be less if the load were applied
elsewhere on the head, so the calculation suffices. The stress on
the top surface is given by Gt /t2, where t is the thickness of
the crown of the head and Gt is a value from a graph in
Nonmandatory Appendix 11. Similarly, the stress on the undersurface is Gb/t2. Figure 26.26 is the graph that gives Gt and Gb as a
function of (Rct)1/2. Here, Rc is the crown radius of the head.
In an F&D head, the crown radius equals the shell diameter;
thus Rc  144 in. The minimum pressure-containing part thickness allowed by RTP-1 is 0.22 in. Using this thickness, (Rct)1/2
5.63 in.; from the graph, Gt  193.2 lb. and Gb  103.9 lb.
Therefore, the stress on the upper surface of the head is
193.2/0.222  3,992 psi; on the lower surface, it is 103.9/0.222 
2,146 psi. The membrane stress,
s, from the pressure exerted by
the snow load is given as follows:
PRc
ss =
2t
(26.30)
which, for the current values, yields
s  79.5 psi because the
snow load is 35 lb/ft2  0.243 psi. Thus the stress under the
footprint load on the top surface  3,299  79.5  3,378 psi.
The snow load may act for many days, but the footprint load acts
only for a short time, for which reason the design factor for temporary loads, F  5, may be applied to find the allowable for the combined stress: 16,000/5  3,200 psi, which is less than the absolute
value of the applied stress. Therefore, the head must be thicker. The
next thickest practical matwovenroving laminate is 0.29 in. thick
with a stack-up of V, 2M, 2(MR)M. In this case, Gt  213.7 lb and
Gb  121.8 lb, and the footprint stresses on the upper and lower
surfaces are 2,541 psi and 1,448 psi, respectively. The membrane
stress from the snow load becomes 60.3 psi; therefore, the stress
under the footprint becomes 2,601 psi, which satisfies the allowable stress criterion. (Note: Neither the graph in this book nor the

FPd 0.5
b
0.36Ef

(26.31)

where
Ef  the flexural modulus
RTP-1 requires F  for elastic stability, Ef  1.25  106 psi,
and Pd  0.243 psi. The minimum required thickness is 0.236 in.,
which is less than 0.29 in.; thus the head satisfies the buckling
requirements.

26.9.3

Shell Design

Hydrostatic pressures for heights in the shell needed for design

were computed in the usual way. These are listed in Table 26.22.
RTP-1, Article 3A-210 gives the following algorithm for determining the minimum required thickness for a contact-molded,
cylindrical shell. Compute thicknesses th and ta as follows:

th =

PDF
2Sh

(26.32)

ta =

NaxF
Sa

(26.33)

where
P  the combined hydrostatic and design pressure at the
height at which the thickness is computed
D  the shell diameter
F  10, the design factor on internal pressure
Nax  the axial force per unit circumferential length
Sh  the ultimate hoop tensile strength
Sa  the ultimate axial tensile strength
The greater of th or ta is the required minimum thickness. For
simplicity, the shell will be of uniform thickness. Thus P  7.8 psi,
the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the shell (because the
tank is vented, the design pressure is 0). Given the values of D 
144 in. and Sh  16,000 psi, th  0.351 in. The weight of the head
was calculated by ordinary methods as 286 lb. The projected area
of the head in ft2 is as follows:

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-31

A =

pD2
2

= 113.1

(26.34)

Thus the total snow load is 113.1  35  3,939 lb. The circumference of the tank is D  452.4 in.; therefore, Nax  (3,939 
286)/452.4  9.34 lb/in. The axial and hoop strengths are the
same, so Sa  16,000 psi and
ta =

9.34 * 10
= 0.00584
16,000

(26.35)

Thus the hoop stress governs and the required minimum thickness is 0.351 in. The next thickest realizable laminate is 0.37 in.
thick with a stack-up of V, 2M, 3(MR)M.
The bending moment at the base of the shell from wind is given
by the following equation:
H2
Mw = Pw D
2
(26.36)
From the UBRS, Pw  20 psf. For computing the wind
moment, the height is taken as the shell height plus the head
height of 17.16 ft The diameter is 12 ft; therefore, the base wind
moment Mw  35,336 ft lb. The moment produces a stress sw
that can be calculated as follows from the ordinary beam formula:
Mwc
sw =
I

(26.37)

where
I  the moment of inertia of the shell cross section
c  D/2
The moment of inertia can be obtained from the following
equation:
I = pa

D - t 2
b t = 4.272 * 105 in.4
2

(26.38)

With these values, sw  71.5 psi. The axial stress from the
weight is given as follows:
swt =

W
= 11.3
p(D - t)t

(26.39)

The stresses add weight on the leeward side of the tank, where
the total axial stress is 82.8 psi. This is far less than the allowable stress. To be complete, the compressive stress on the leeward
side must be checked for buckling. The critical buckling stress for
bending under wind moment is as follows:
scr =

0.39Et
R

(26.40)

where
R  the radius of the tank
For the values given in equation (26.40),
cr  2,776 psi,
which is much greater than the applied stress. The method used in
equation (26.40) for wind loading is the same as that illustrated in
Nonmandatory Appendix 3, Article NM3-321 of RTP-1.

26.9.4

Design of Bottom and Bottom Knuckle

Given the shell thickness and tank diameter, RTP-1 has rules
for the thickness of the bottom and design of the knuckle that
require no calculation. Article 3A-250 states the minimum flatbottom thicknesses given in Table 26.23.
Subpart 3A rules currently apply to tanks and vessels up to 16 ft
in diameter, a limit that may be increased soon by the RTP-1
Committee. For tanks 12 ft16 ft in diameter, RTP-1 requires a
design analysis. There are gaps in the diameter ranges because the
rule is for commonly available tooling.
The rules for the knuckle are somewhat more complicated.
Article 3A-350 states the following:
The radius of the bottom knuckle of a flat bottom vessel shall
not be less than 1 in. if the diameter is 4 ft or less, and 1.5 in. for
diameters exceeding 4 ft. The minimum thickness of the radius
section shall be equal to the combined thickness of the shell wall
and the bottom. The reinforcement of the knuckle radius area
shall taper so that it is tangent to the flat bottom, and shall not
extend beyond the tangent line onto the tank bottom. The
knuckle reinforced area shall extend for a minimum distance of
8 in. from the inside tank bottom up the vertical wall for tanks
up to and including 4 ft in diameter, and 12 in. for tanks over 4 ft
in diameter. The reinforcement shall then taper into the side wall
for an additional 4 in. The perimeter of the tank bottom shall be
in a flat plane, and the bottom shall have no projections which
exceed 41 in. and which will prevent uniform contact with a flat
support surface when the tank is filled with liquid.
Figure 26.27 shows the knuckle construction for this example.
By coincidence, the shell and bottom have the same thickness,
but this is not always true. The bottom has a straight flange, for
which reason the knuckle radius does not contain a joint (the
joint is a few in. up the side). This is not clearly stated as a
requirement, although it is treated as such and is certainly good
practice. On the inside of the joint, a seal overlay is applied to
prevent process liquid from getting into the joint. The seal overlay has the same stack-up as the corrosion barriernamely, V,
MM. On the outside of the joint, a butt-joint overlay is installed.
Article 4-320 provides the rules for butt joints between the
heads and the shell and between the shell courses, and also for
joints in the flat portion of a fully supported (as by a slab) flat
bottom. In this case, the rules require the joint to be constructed
of matwoven-roving laminate (the same as the parts being
joined) of at least the same thickness as the thicker of the parts
being joined. The first ply of the joint overlay must be a mat ply
at least 3 in. wide; the next, a woven-roving ply of the same width
as the mat ply; the last, a mat ply extending beyond the wovenroving ply beneath it by at least 12 in. on each side. The sequence

26-32 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.27 KNUCKLE FOR FLAT-BOTTOM TANK

continues, with alternating plies of mat and woven-roving and

with each mat ply extending at least 12 in. on either side of the
ply beneath it until the required thickness is attained. The
knuckle-reinforcement overlay is then added. It would also be of
a matwoven-roving laminate and would extend at least 12 in.
up the shell, as measured from the inside surface of the tank bottom. The reinforcement overlay would be at least equal to the
bottom thickness and would taper into the shell to a width of at

FIG. 26.28 CROSS SECTION OF HOLD-DOWN LUG

ASSEMBLY

least 4 in., which is in addition to the 12 in. full-thickness part

of the overlay.

26.9.5

Hold-Down Lug Design

Because the tank will be subjected to wind loading, it must be

equipped with hold-down lugs. Although no mandatory rules govern these lugs, Nonmandatory Appendix NM-4 gives a method for
designing them. The forthcoming analysis of the lugs uses this
method, which applies to the type of lug sketched in Figs. 26.28,
26.29, and 26.30. Figure 26.28 shows a cross section of the hold-down
lug, tank wall, and overlay, where the cutting plane is vertical
through the center of the lug. Note that the vessel-wall thickness
under the lug is the sum of the bottom knuckle reinforcement and
the shell thickness. Figure 26.29 shows an elevation view of the

FIG. 26.29 ELEVATION VIEW OF LUG ASSEMBLY

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-33

FIG. 26.30 TOP VIEW OF NOZZLE ASSEMBLY

lug assembly, and Fig. 26.30 shows a top view of the lugs nozzle
assembly.
The retainer bar keeps the lug from sliding out of the overlay
that might not adhere to the steel lug. The bottom of the lug is
deliberately spaced above the slab to ensure that the weight of the
vessel and its contents are transmitted to the slab through the bottom of the vessel, not through the lugs. The lugs need only to
resist downward forces. Anchor bolts or clips that secure the lug
to the slab must not be tightened excessively; in fact, some Users
Design Specifications call for making these threaded fasteners
only finger-tight and using a jam nut to ensure that the nut stays in
place.
Nonmandatory Appendix NM-4 checks against the following
six failure modes:
(1) Peel of the overlay from the vessel.
(2) Shear failure of the overlay to the vessel secondary bond.
(3) Tensile failure of the overlay at the vertical edges of the lug.

(4) Yield in bending at the base of the lug.

(5) Shear failure of the vessel wall.
(6) Bending failure of the vessel wall.
Table 26.24 lists the quantities that are input to the lug computations as well as the symbols used to represent the quantities in
the forthcoming equations. We are attempting to determine the
lug dimensions, but because the calculation is of the cut-and-try
method, the dimensions are input.
The allowable peel load and the allowable bond shear stress are
values suggested in Nonmandatory Appendix NM-4. The lug
yield strength is for A-36 structural steel. Lugs are often cut from
steel structural shapes; thus the yield strength is realistic.
The first series of computations determines the force on the
most heavily loaded lug. The lugs need to resist uplift only, for a
downward force in the vicinity of a lug is resisted by the knuckle
pressing into the support lab. In the present example, a windoverturning moment, the uplift on the dished top head from the

26-34 Chapter 26

wind, and the weight of the vessel less the bottom weight, all
influence the lug force. The wind uplift force on the top head, Uw,
is given by the following equation:
Uw =

p 2
DP P
4 0 w g

The allowable bond shear stress is 200 psi; therefore, the bond
shear is acceptable.
Next, the tensile stress in the overlay adjacent to the vertical
edges of the lug is checked. The tension, T, is obtained from the
following equation:

(26.41)
T =

Inserting the values in the table results in the following equations:

4Mq
4(35,340)
Uq =
=
= 11,720 lb
144.74
(26.42)
D0

U = Uw + Uq - Wv = 1,828 + 11,720 - 1,879 = 11,670 lb

(26.44)

sb =

11,670
U
=
= 1,945 lb
=
N
6

3(1,945)(2.5)
=

112

= 120.54

lb
in.

(120.54)(2.5)
wmaxh
=
= 662.95 lb
2
2

Ltp = 2(h - tb) + wlug = 2(11 - 0.375) + 6 = 27.25 in.

(26.47)

tw =

tov =

2h1wov

1,945
=
= 30.87 psi
2(10.5)(3)

3(1 - v )
2

Dk
a b t2k
2

(26.53)

(26.54)

1/4

3(1 - 0.26 )
145.48 2
a
b 0.742
2

= 0.1763 in..- 1

(26.55)

(26.49)

(26.50)

P
662.95
= 149.3 psi
=
tkwk
(0.74)(6)

1/4

b=

which is less than the allowable peel of 50 lb/in.

The next mode to check is failure of the overlay to vessel secondary bond in shear. The shear stress is as follows:
Flug

= 15,560 psi

4(4)(0.375)2

which is a low value. Normal stress under the lugs is a combination of bending from the lugs and the membrane from pressure.
The computation of these stresses begins by computing the bending parameter, b:

(26.48)

The peel load (lb/in.) is then

P
662.95
lb
=
= 24.33
Ltp
27.25
in.

3(1,945)(6)
=

(26.46)

The length of the tensile perimeter, Ltp, is as follows

Spl =

Llugt2b

The allowable stress in the lug, which is assumed to be cut

from a structural A-36steel angle, is 23 of its yield stress or
24,000 psi, which is greater than the bending stress in the lug.
Thus the lug stress is acceptable. The shear stress in the tank wall
under the lug, Tw, is approximately given as follows:

The total radial load, P, is obtained from the following equation:

P =

3Flugwlug

(26.45)

The next step is to check resistance to peel. The maximum unit

radial load on the overwrap, wmax, is given as follows:
h2

(26.52)

The allowable stress is 15 the tensile strength of the laminate

that is, 3,200 psi, for the stress results from wind, which is a
temporary load. Because the overlay hoop stress is less than
that, it is therefore acceptable. Peel, overlay bond shear stress,
and hoop stress in the overlay are all less than their allowables,
and the lug attachment overlay is acceptable. What remains is
to check the lug itself and the stresses in the vessel wall under
the lug.
The bending stress at the base of the lug can be computed from
the following equation:

The force on a single lug, Flug, is then

3Fluge

8,037
T
=
= 2,835 psi
h1tov
(10.5)(0.27)

(26.43)

The wind pressure is divided by 144 to convert it from psf to

psi to be consistent with the other values in the equation. (The
inside diameter of the tank shell is 144 in.; therefore, the outside
diameter is the inside diameter plus twice the thickness or 144.74
in.) The effective uplift force from the wind moment, Uq, is
obtained as follows:
The net uplift force is then

wmax =

(26.51)

The tensile hoop stress in the overlay, sov, is then

sov =

p
20
d(0.8) = 1,828
Uw = (144.74)2 c
4
144

Flug

(662.95)(145.48)
PD0
=
= 8,037 lb
2w
2(6)

The axial bending moment in the shell under the lug, Max, is
then obtained from the following equation:
Max = a

P
1
662.95
1
in.-lb
b
= a
b =
= 156.7
wlug 4b
6
4(0.1763)
in.
(26.56)

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-35

Paragraph 3A-700 of RTP-1 contains rules for the opening

reinforcement. The rules apply to openings for nozzles or manways with cylindrical necks. Other restrictions are the following:

and the hoop moment, Mh, is as follows:

Mh = vMax = (0.26)(156.7) = 40.74

in.-lb
in.

(26.57)

The axial normal stress in the wall under the lug results from
the superposition of the axial membrane stress and the bending
stress from Max, as follows:
sax =

6(156.7)
11,670
6Max
U
+
+ 2 =
pDktk
p(145.48)(0.74)
tk
0.742

= 1,752 psi

(26.58)

Similarly, the hoop stress is the sum of the hoop membrane and
the hoop bending stresses, as follows:
PhydDk
6(40.74)
(7.8)(145.48)
6Mh
+
+ 2 =
s =
2tk
2(0.74)
tk
0.742
= 1,213 psi

(1) Only openings for circular nozzles in which the diameter

does not exceed half the vessel diameter are covered by
these rules.
(2) Only openings in which the largest dimension along one
axis is no longer than two times the largest diameter along
the axis at 90 deg. to the first axis are covered by these rules.
These dimensions shall be measured from one cut edge to
the opposite cut edge.
(3) These rules cover only the reinforcement of cylinders and
dished, elliptical, and conical heads using RTP-1 design-byrule thicknesses.
The outside diameter of the reinforcing pad, dr, shall be the
greater of twice the openings largest dimension of the openings
largest dimension plus 6 in. The taper at the outer periphery of the
reinforcement laminate shall not be included in dr. Reinforcing
pads shall not overlap. The thickness of the reinforcing pad, tr, is
given by the following equation:

(26.59)
tr = VMKTt - M(Tc - Tt)

As in the case of the overlay hoop stress, the allowable is 3,200 psi,
which is comfortably more than the greater of the hoop and axial
stresses.
The lug design is adequate to resist wind loads. Table 26.25
lists the six failure modes, the allowable stress, the imposed
stress, and the ratio of allowable to imposed stress. It shows that
the lug and attachment overlay are well designed.
The allowable stress for the vessel-wall shear is only a rough
value; it is rarely measured. It is the shear stress in a plane normal
to the laminate and containing the axis of the vessel. Except for
gross impact (which is always the result of an accident), this kind
of failure is rare; therefore, the industry has not tried to define it.
The lug design method is only approximate and is based as much
on experience as science. However, the method does result in reliable lugs. Although finite-element or some other exacting stress
analysis might result in smaller lugs and overlays, the engineering
cost would be greater than the material and labor savings unless the
Fabricator plans to build many lugs of the same design.

26.9.6

Nozzle Reinforcement and Attachment Design

Only nozzle A on the top head and the manway will be considered because in both cases it illustrates the design process as well
as many more examples would. External pressure from the snow
load governs the design of the reinforcing pad for nozzle A.

(26.60)

where
V = 1 for internal pressure, 12 for external pressure
M = 1 for vessel parts of contact-molded laminates
M =
/15,000 for other laminates, such as those that are
filament-wound
a = the hoop design strength, psi
K = 1 for nozzles of greater than 6 in. diameter
K = d/6 for 6 6
d = the nozzles largest hole dimension
Tc = the nominal wall thickness for construction
Tt = the minimum wall thickness that satisfies the design
conditions
If tr  0.129 in., no reinforcing is required
Now, let us consider nozzle A. The head is governed by external
pressure so that V = 12 . The head is contact-molded; therefore, M = 1.
The diameter is 12 in., which is greater than 6 in., and K = 1.
From these values, Tc = 0.29 in. and T1 = 0.236 in. Then,
tr =

1
* 1 * 1 * 0.236 - 1 * (0.29 - 0.236) = 0.064 in.
2
(26.61)

26-36 Chapter 26

From Fig. 4.8 of RTP-1, the attachment laminate thickness is

twice the neck thickness, 0.74 in.; from Table 4.1 of RTP-1, the
width is 6 in.
The dimensions of the reinforcing pad and attachment are
found the same way for nozzle B.
Table 26.27 lists the dimensions of the nozzle reinforcing pads
and attachments. The thicknesses have been rounded up from the
calculated values to correspond to practical laminate sequences.

26.10

RTP-1: DESIGN EXAMPLE 2

26.10.1 RTP-1 Example 2 Design Specification

Thus tr 6 0.129 in., and no reinforcing is required.

The attachment laminate is specified in RTP-1 by Figs. 4.4 and
4.5 as well as Table 4.3 on pages 40, 41, and 42, respectively.
Table 4.3 is reproduced in this chapter as Table 26.26.
The shear-bond width is the width of the attachment not only on
the vessel part or reinforcing pad, but up the nozzle neck as well.
Nozzle attachment laminates are shown in Fig. 26.11. The
attachment thickness is the greatest of 0.4 in.twice the nozzle
neck thickness, or tr. Assume a nozzle neck thickness of 0.29
in, in which case the attachment laminate total thickness must
be at least 0.58 in. Some of it may be on the inside of the installation, may be some on the outside; this is acceptable as long as
the sum of the two is at least 0.58 in. Table 26.26 gives the
width of the attachment to be at least 5 in. on the shell or head
to which the nozzle is attached and 5 more in. up the nozzle
neck.
Assume that the manway neck is 0.37 in. thick. The shell is governed by internal pressure and is contact-molded; therefore, V  1
and M  1. The manway diameter is 24 in., so K  1 and dr 
48 in. In addition, Tc  0.37 in. and Tt  0.351 in. Thus the reinforcing pad thickness is as follows:

Figure 26.31 sketches Example 2 of RTP-1 design. The vessel

has F&D top and bottom heads and is supported by a steel ring,
which is a rolled-structural channel. The vessel will be supported
by building steel in an octagonal factory-floor opening and
framed by steel beams. The support ring will be connected to the
building steel by lugs welded to the ring. The vessel may be filled
with a liquid with a specific gravity of 1.4, but it must have a
design internal pressure of 5 psig and a design external pressure
of 10 psig.
The vessel will require vacuum-stiffening rings, even though
they are not shown in Fig. 26.31. The figure is meant to illustrate a sketch that would be part of the Design Specification,
which would not usually show vacuum rings. The Fabricator
would determine whether rings are needed and would also
design them.
Appendix 26.B provides the UBRS for the vessel. As in the
previous example, many of the entries may be left blank. Table
26.28 provides a list of the sections of this chapter where the
calculations for the vessel components can be found. However,
manway and nozzle reinforcement and attachment designs are
not included because they are the same as in the previous
example.
The vessel will be built of the same resin as that used in
Example 1, but the Fabricator intends to build this vessel of
matwoven-roving laminate as well. For this reason, the same
laminate properties of Example 1 apply. For convenience, they are
listed in Table 26.29.
Hydrostatic pressures at various levels in the vessel are
required during the design process. The hydrostatic pressure is
given by the following equation:

tr = 1 * 1 * 1 * 0.351 - 1 * (0.37 - 0.351) = 0.332 in.

(26.62)

Ph = gH

(26.63)

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-37

FIG. 26.31 RTP-1,SECOND DESIGN EXAMPLE

where
Ph  the hydrostatic pressure
g  the specific weight of the contents
H  the depth of the liquid at the level in question
Because the design condition is with the full vessel, H is measured from the top of the top head. Table 26.30 lists the hydrostatic
pressures used in design computations.

26.10.2 Design of the Top Head

The top head will be subjected to an internal pressure of
5 psig, an external pressure of 10 psig, and the footprint load.
The hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the head is 1.027 psig;
therefore, the head must withstand a total of 6.027 psig.
Paragraph 3A-220 requires the head to have a thickness of at
least tr, as follows:
tr =

0.885PRcF
Su

(26.64)

where
P  6.027 psi, the total pressure
Rc  120 in., the crown radius of the head
Su  16,000 psi, the ultimate tensile strength of the laminate

F  10, the design factor

Inserting the preceding values into equation (26.64) gives tr 
0.40 in., which is the minimum thickness required to resist internal pressure. The maximum allowed external pressure to thickness t is specified in paragraph 3A-320:

26-38 Chapter 26

Pext = 0.36 a

Ef
t 2
ba b
Fv Ro

26.10.3 Design of the Shell and Vacuum Rings

(26.65)

In this equation, Ef is the flexural modulus, Fv  5, the design

factor on elastic stability, and Ro  R  t, the outside crown radius.
Using the thickness required for internal pressure and the flexural
modulus from Table 26.29:
Pext = 0.36 a

2
1.25 * 106
0.40
ba
b = 0.9930 psi
5
120 + 0.4
(26.66)

This is less than the required value Pext  10 psi. By trial and
error it can be established that t  1.299 in leads to Pext  10.32 psi.
That thickness corresponds to a practical lamination sequence: V,
MM, 4[3(MR), M], MRM. Equation 26.64 above for thickness
required to resist internal pressure can be solved for the P that
results from thickness of 1.299 in.:
P =

Sut
16000 * 1.299
=
= 19.57 psi
0.885FRc
0.885 * 10 * 120

(26.67)

The MAWP for the top head is then this value of P less the
hydrostatic pressure which gives 18.5 psi.
It remains to verify that the head will resist the combination
of footprint load and external pressure. The footprint load is
considered a temporary load, and therefore by Paragraph
NM11-300, a design factor of F  5 may be used while considering the combination of footprint load and stress from external
pressure.
Nonmandatory Appendix 11 of RTP-1 provides a method for
calculating the stress in the center of an F & D head under the
footprint load. The stress would be less if the load were applied
elsewhere on the head, so the calculation suffices. The stress on
the top surface is given by Gt /t2 where t is the thickness of
the crown of the head, and Gt is a value from a graph in
Nonmandatory Appendix 11. Similarly the stress on the under
surface is Gb /t2. Figure 26.26 in Section 26.9.2 above is a copy of
the graph that gives Gt and Gb as functions of (Rct)1/2. Here, Rc is
the crown radius of the head. In this case (Rct)1/2  (120 
1.299)1/2  12.49 in. Then, from the graph, Gt  323 lb and Gb 
224 lb. Thus the footprint stress on the top surface is
t 
323/1.2992  191 psi and the footprint stress on the lower
surface is
b  224/1.292  133 psi. The membrane stress at the
top of the crown from external pressure is obtained from:

sm =

PextRc
-10 * 120
=
= - 461.9 psi
2t
2 * 1.299

(26.68)

The shell must withstand two independent loads: external pressure and combined design pressurehydrostatic load. The usual
strategy is to first compute the shell thickness required for internal
pressure and then to determine if this is sufficient for external
pressure. If it is not, the design must be rechecked with one or
more vacuum-stiffening rings added to the shell. If the external
pressure condition can be satisfied with a satisfactory number
of rings, the design is accepted; if not, the shell thickness is
increased and the design is checked again. Eventually, by trial and
error, a satisfactory design is reached. There is a trade-off
between the number of rings required and shell thickness. The
design engineer uses his or her judgment to determine whether a
particular choice is satisfactory.
Because the support ring will serve as a vacuum stiffener, the
shell design will be done in two stages. The first will be to design
the part of the shell above the stiffening ring (to be taken as the
part of the shell above the upper surface of the support ring); the
second will be to design the part of the shell below the upper surface of the ring.
At the top of the support ring, the hydrostatic pressure is 6.99
psig; the design pressure, 5 psig. The shell must therefore withstand a combined pressure of P  11.99 psig. Paragraph 3A-210
supplies a rule for the required shell thicknessthat it must be the
greater of t1 or t2, where
t1 =

(26.69)

PR
Su
F

(26.70)

and
t2 =

where
P  combined design pressure-hydrostatic load
Nax  the axial stress resultant
Su  the tensile strength
F  10, the design factor
The axial stress resultant from the design pressure is Nax Pd R/2 
5  60/2  150 lb/in.
For t1:
150
t1 =
= 0.094 in.
16,000
(26.71)
10
For t2:
t2 =

The superposition of this stress and the footprint stress on the

top surface gives 191  461.9  653 psi. The allowable stress
is 16000/5  3200 psi, which is much greater than the imposed
stress. Since the internal design pressure is less than the external
design pressure, and since the positive footprint stress on the
underside of the head is less in absolute value than the footprint
stress on the top, the combination of internal pressure and footprint
load is also acceptable.
A top head laminate with stackup V, MM, 4[3(MR), M]MRM,
which is 1.299 in. thick, satisfies RTP-1.

Nax
Su
F

(8.31)(60)
= 0.312 in.
16,000
12

(26.72)

Thus the required minimum thickness for resisting internal

pressure is 0.312 in. In reality, the axial stress resultant would be
reduced because the weight of the upper part of the vessel would
partially counteract the pressure, but hoop stress governs, for
which reason this conservatism has no effect on the design.
Paragraph 3A-310 gives an equation for computing the allowed
maximum external pressure on a given shell. It is:

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-39

PA =

KD 0.8531 g E2f4 E 41 t 2
11 - v1fv2f24 La
3

D0 2
b F
2

(26.73)

where:
F  design factor  5
KD  knockdown factor  0.84
  1  0.001Zp if Zp 100 Zp  0.9 otherwise
and
3

Zp =

E 2f2 E 21
E21f

11 - v1f v2f22
1

L2
D0
a
tb
2

In Equation (26.73), D0 represents the outside diameter, t the shell

thickness, E1 the axial tensile modulus, E2f the hoop flexural modulus,
E1f the axial flexural modulus, v1f Poissons ratio for bending stress in
x direction and contraction/expansion in y direction, v2f Poissons ratio
for bending stress in y direction and contraction/expansion in x direction and PA the allowable external pressure. The design length, L is
defined as the greatest of the following:
1. The distance between head tangent lines plus one-third the
depth of each formed head, if there are no stiffening rings
(excluding conical heads and sections).
2. The distance between cone-to-cylinder junctions for vessels
with cone or conical heads if there are no stiffening rings.
3. The greatest center-to-center distance between any two adjacent stiffening rings.
4. The distance from the center of the first stiffening ring to the
formed head tangent line plus one-third the depth of the
formed head (excluding conical heads and sections), all measured parallel to the axis of the vessel.
5. The distance from the first stiffening in the cylinder to the
cone-cylinder junction.
In the current example, one-third the depth of a head is 7.27 in.,
the distance from the bottom tangent line to the top of the support
ring is 27.5 in. and the tangent line to tangent line length of the
shell is 144 in. Then the design length for the upper part of the
shell is 144  7.27  27.5  123.77 in. Taking the shell thick-

ness as the minimum required for internal pressure, D0  120

2(0.312)  120.624 in. For this design, Equation (26.73) yields
PA  0.22 psi, far too low.
If two evenly spaced vacuum rings are added to the shell above
the support ring, then the design length is 123.77/3  41.26 in.
With the thickness unchanged, Equation (26.73) gives PA  0.67
psi, still too low. By using various values of t in the equation, one
finds that t  0.9 in results in PA  10.05 psi. The lamination
schedule of the thinnest laminate with thickness at least 0.9 in
thick is 3[3(MR)M]MRM which is 0.932 in thick. That thickness
results in PA  10.97 psi, which satisfies the design requirement.
The required moment of inertia of the vacuum rings is obtained
from paragraph 3A-330:
I =

Pv Ls D 30 Fv
24Eh

(26.74)

where
I  the moment of inertia
Pv  the design vacuum pressure
Ls  half the distance from the centerline of the stiffening
ring to the next line of support on one side, plus half of
the centerline distance to the next line of support on the
other side of the stiffening ring (both measured parallel
to the axis of the cylinder)
Fv  5, the design factor for elastic stability
Eh  the hoop modulus of the sitffening ring laminate
A line of support, Ls, is defined as follows:
(1) a stiffening ring that meets the requirements of this paragraph;
(2) a circumferential line on a head at one-third the depth of the
head from the tangent line; or
(3) a cone-to-cylinder junction.
The ring will be made of the same laminate, except for thickness, as the shell. Thus E2  1.785  106 psi. With t  0.932 in.,
D0  120  2(0.932)  121.846 in. The design length for use in
Equation (26.73), Ls  41.26 in., the same as the shell design
length.
I =

10 * 41.26 * (121.846)3 * 5
24 * 1.785 * 106

FIG. 26.32 VACUUM-STIFFENING RING SECTION

= 87.113 in4

26-40 Chapter 26

R  the inside shell radius

Wt  the total weight given in Table 26.31
Thus:
Nax =

98,725
lb
5 * 60
+
= 411.88
2
2p * 60
in.

(26.79)

Inserting this value in equation (26.76) gives

No particular ring section is required by RTP-1. Perhaps the
most common section is a trapezoid, an example of which is
sketched in Fig. 26.32. The dimensions shown result in a moment
of inertia of 108.7 in.4 about an axis parallel to the vessel axis and
through the centroid of the section. It was computed by ordinary
methods. The moment of inertia includes the attachment, the shell
wall under the trapezoid, and the attachment laminate. The wall
thickness of the ring is 0.28 in., with a lamination sequence of
MM,2(MR), M.
A common way of building the ring is from a core of lowdensity rigid foam, which is attached to the vessel with an adhesive. Then, the ring is laid up over the core. The core is usually so
light that it does not contribute to strength or stiffness, but it is left
in the ring nevertheless.
The maximum allowable design pressure for the upper part of
the shell is obtained by solving the t 2 equation, which governs the
internal pressure, for P and inserting the values for this example
as follows:
MAWP =

16,000 * 0.932
Sut
- Phyd =
- 6.99 = 24.9 psi
RF
60 * 10

t1 =

411.88
= 0.257 in.
16,000
10

(26.80)

Hoop stress therefore governs, requiring a thickness of 0.499 in.

For simplicity, the entire shell will have the same thickness of
0.909 in. The external pressure design length of the lower shell is
27.5 in., which is less than 41.26 in. (the design length of the
upper shell). Thus, if the shell segments are of the same thickness,
the lower shell would be adequate for the design external pressure. The MAWP of the lower shell segment is calculated as
before:
MAWP =

16,000 * 0.909
Sut
= Phyd =
- 8.31
RF
60 * 10

= 15.93 psi

(26.81)

Thus a shell that has a lamination sequence of V, 2M, 3[3(MR),

M (0.909 in. thick), as well as two vacuum rings as shown in Fig.
26.32, satisfies the RTP-1 requirements.

(26.75)
In the portion of the shell below the upper surface of the support ring, the axial load is the sum of the weight of the vessel contents, the weight of the vessel below the support, and the force
from the internal design pressure. (Table 26.31 lists the sum of
these weights.) At the bottom of the shell, the total pressure is the
hydrostatic pressure of 8.31 psig (from Table 26.30) plus the
design pressure of 5 psig, which sums to 13.31 psig. At the upper
part of the shell, the required thickness for internal pressure and
contents weight is the greater of t1 and t2, where
Nax
t1 =
Su
F

Nax

where
Pd  the design pressure

0.885 PRcF
0.885 * 14.33 * 120 * 10
=
= 0.919 in.
Su
16,000

(26.76)

(26.77)

Nax is the axial membrane stress resultant and is given by the

following equation:
PdR
Wt
=
+
2
2pR

The top head will be subjected to a hydrostatic pressure of

9.33 psig (from Table 26.30) combined with the design pressure
of 5 psig to give a total pressure of P  14.33 psig. The external
design pressure is 10 psig. It will have the same geometry as the
top head: torispherical, with a 120 in. crown radius, a 6% knuckle
radius, and a 120 in. head diameter. The required thickness for
internal pressure is as follows:

tr =

and
PR
13.31 * 60
= 0.499 in.
=
t2 =
16,000
Su
F
10

26.10.4 Design of the Bottom Head

(26.78)

(26.82)
The required thickness for external pressure is the same as for
the top headthat is, 1.223 in.and has a lamination sequence
of V, MM, 4[3(MR), M], M. From Section 26.7, the pressure
capacity of the head is 18.43 psi. Thus the MAWP is 18.43 
9.33  9.10 psig.

26.10.5 Support Ring Design

The weight of the entire vessel and its contents are computed
by ordinary methods. The total weight of 103,327 lb must be supported by the ring. The ring, in turn, is supported by eight evenly
spaced lugs that mate with building steel, forming the edge of the
octagonal opening that the vessel occupies. Figure 26.33 is a
sketch of a cross section of the ring. In this example, the

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-41

FIG. 26.33 SUPPORT-RING CROSS SECTION

Fabricator rolls the ring from a structural channel. (The ring is

usually made in two halves connected with bolted splices.) The
vessel is built; then, the FRP-support and -retainer bands are
installed on the vessel. The ring is assembled onto the vessel
either on the site or in the Fabricators shop.
RTP-1, paragraph NM5-400 provides a method for designing
the ring in Nonmandatory Appendix NM-5 (Ring Support of
Vessels). The bending moment, Mb, and the twisting moment, Mv,
at Section A in Fig. 26.34 are given by the following equations:
fe
WR f cos a
- 1 c
sin (f - a) d
Mb = 2p sin f
R

(26.83)

Mt = -

fe
WR f sin a
- a +
c
cos (f - a) d
2p sin f
R

(26.84)

where
W  the total supported weight
R  a, f = the geometric quantities defined by Fig. 26.34
Note that the angle 2f is the angular separation between lugs
and that a locates a section of the ring. Given that there are N
lugs, f  180/N deg. The quantity e, the eccentricity of the lug
forces, is the radial distance from the line of action of the support
force to the shear center of the ring section, as shown in Fig.
26.35. The bending stress, j/b, and the torsional shear stress, t, are
then given as follows:
sb =

Mb
Zb

(26.85)

t =

Mt
Zt

(26.86)

and

where
Zb  the bending section modulus of the ring about a radial
centroidal axis
Zt  the torsional section modulus
For relatively thin-walled open sections, such as a rolled channel, Zt is well approximated by the torsional stiffness constant J
divided by the thickest part of the section wall. A good indicator
of yield in a steel channel is the von Mises stress, svm, obtained
from the bending and shear stresses by the following equation:
FIG. 26.34 GEOMETRIC QUANTITIES IN THE STRESS
ANALYSIS OF THE RING

svm = 2s2b + 3t2

(26.87)

26-42 Chapter 26

FIG. 26.35 VON MISES STRESS IN THE SUPPORT RING

Thus, for a given ring, the von Mises stress is given as a function of a by equation (26.87). To verify the design of the ring, it is
necessary to find the section at which svm is greatest.
For the present example, W  103,327 lb, R  62 in., and N 
8. Then f  180/8  22.5 deg. A candidate section is a C15 
50 structural channel [11]. This channel has a moment of inertia
of 404 in. 4 and is 15 in. high. Then Zb  404/7.5  53.87 in.3,
the torsional constant J  2.67 in.4, and the thickness for computing Zt is 0.65 in. Thus Zt  2.67/0.65  4.108 in.3, and the
shear center is 0.583 in. radially inward from the back of the
channel. Setting e  6 in. gives a reasonable allowance for the lug
design and clearance between the ring and building steel. Figure
26.35 is a plot of svm as a function of a for this set of values.
The value of a for which svm is greatest is a = 14.28 deg.,
where svm = 17,840 psi. The channel would be composed of
A36 steel, which has a yield strength of 36,000 psi. A normal
allowable stress is 23 of the yield or 24,000 psi, of which the actual
stress is 74.3%. Thus the ring section is acceptable.
Computations for the maximum von Mises stress were done by
using Mathcad. Figures NM5-6, NM5-7, and NM5-8 in RTP-1
are design charts for streamlining this process. They plot a stress
function, , as a function of Zb / Zt for various e/R, and there is a
separate chart for each number of lugs. The stress is then given by
the following equation:

svm =

WR
Zb

(26.88)

In the present case, Zb /Zt  13.113 and e/R  0.968. Figure

NM5-8 is the chart for eight lugs; it yields  0.15 for this
choice of Zb/Zt and e/R. The maximum von Mises stress is thus:
svm =

103,327 * 62 * 0.15
= 17,840 psi
53.87

(26.88)

26.10.6 Vessel MAWP

The MAWP is listed in Table 26.32 for each pressure-containing
component. The MAWP for the entire vessel is 9.10 psig, the least
of those listed, and the maximum allowable external pressure is
10 psig, governed by the stiffening rings. The reason why the
MAWP is so much higher than the design pressure is that external
pressure governs the design of all the components, requiring
greater component thicknesses than the internal pressure.

26.11

QUALITY ASSURANCE OF SECTION

X AND RTP-1 VESSELS

26.11.1 Introduction
Manufacturers of both RTP-1 and Section X vessels are governed by stringent quality assurance systems that are certified by
the ASME. The shops themselves must have written quality control procedures and be accredited by the ASME. All vessel construction must be done in accordance with a detailed procedure
specification; moreover, each vessel design must be qualified
either by testing (in the case of Section X, Class I or Class III) or
by design calculations backed by measured laminate properties (in
the cases of RTP-1 and Section X, Class II). Design calculations
for RTP-1 and Section X, Class II vessels must be certified by a

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-43

Registered Professional Engineer. Completed vessels must be

inspected by an individual certified by the ASME.
Although both RTP-1 and Section X necessarily use similar
quality assurance methods, ASME requirements from the two
documents are not identical; although they accomplish the same
purpose by very similar means, they differ in detail. In the following paragraphs, Section X requirements are considered first, followed by those of RTP-1.

26.11.2 Section X Quality Assurance

Section X contains requirements for the Fabricators quality
control system, vessel manufacturing procedure specification, and
inspection and testing. These three aspects of quality control are
each discussed in turn below.
26.11.2.1 Fabricators Quality Control System The Fabriators
Quality Control System must be maintained to ensure that the vessels he or she builds satisfy all Section X requirements. The
Fabricator must also maintain a quality control manual that
describes his or her system. The manual is reviewed by the ASME
team that originally accredits the Fabricators shop and must be
available for review by the Authorized Inspector as a part of his or
her vessel inspections. The manual, which may contain proprietary
information, is not required to be distributed. As Section X states,
It is intended that information learned about the system (The
Fabricators Quality Control System) in connection with the
evaluation will be treated as confidential and that all loaned
descriptions will be returned to the Fabricator upon completion of the evaluation.
Thus the ASME team that accredits the shop may borrow the
manual, but must return it and not reveal the contents. The
Authorized Inspector5 has access to the manual during the visits
to the Fabricators facility, but does not retain a copy. Section X
does not require that the manual be available to Purchasers; therefore, if a Purchaser wishes to review the manual, the Fabricator
must agree to let the Purchaser read it.
The complexity of the Quality Control System and manual
depend greatly on the size and complexity of the Fabricators
operations and the kind of equipment that the Fabricator builds. It
should be appropriate to the Fabricators circumstances. Although
the Code does not have a long, detailed set of requirements for
Fabricators Quality Control Systems, it does have an outline of
features to be included in the manual. These are as follows:
(a) Authority and Responsibility This section defines the
authority and responsibility of those in charge of the Quality
Control System. These individuals must have well-defined responsibilities as well as the authority and freedom to identify and remedy
quality control problems.
(b) Organization The manual contains an organization chart
that shows the relationship among engineering, quality control,
purchasing, production, testing, inspection, and management personnel. A small shop may have combined functions, such as quality control, testing, and inspection vested in one person, and
therefore may have a very simple organization chart.
(c) Drawings, Design Calculations, and Specifications For both
Class I. II and III vessels, the Quality Control System has procedures to ensure that the latest revisions of drawings, procedures and
specifications required by Section X are used for fabrication,
inspection, and testing. For Class II vessels, the system also
includes reference to the design documents certified by a Regis

tered Professional Engineer and the need for any changes to such
documents to be approved by the Registered Professional Engineer.
The Fabricators Quality Control System also provides those individuals building the vessel with other information not governed by
the Code. The Foreword to Section X (and all other Codebook sections) states that the Code does not address all aspects of these
activities.
(d) Production Flow and In-Plant Inspection and Checkoff The
system includes a basic production-flow procedure, including inplant inspection procedures and checkoff points as well as a
means of documenting them. The purpose of this aspect of the
system is to guarantee that the Procedure Specification on the
drawing is actually implemented. An example of a Procedure
Specification is given below.
(e) Material Receiving Control and Identity Before and during
fabrication, a system of material control ensures that the material
used complies with the applicable specifications and procedures.
The system provides documentation that the proper material is
used in fabrication.
( f ) Nonconforming Materials, Components, and Repairs All
nonconformities, including materials, components, and fabrication
errors, are identified and documented. Components that fail to
meet the required standards may be repaired if the proposed repair
is approved by the design engineer and by the Inspector before the
repair is begun. If the repair is not approved, the component is
rejected. Some repairs may be required to satisfy Purchasers
requirements that are not governed by the Code. For example,
excessive air bubbles in an FRP corrosion barrier would violate the
Purchasers specification, not Section X. Because repairing the
barrier would not affect the pressure containment, the Registered
Professional Engineer and the Inspector would not be required to
approve the repair. Another example is a misplaced nozzle, for
which the Code does not require a repair to be made. However, the
repair would affect the pressure containment, so in this case both
the Registered Professional Engineer and the Inspector would
need to approve the repair. If there is doubt, the prudent Fabricator
would consult the Inspector to determine whether a given repair
needs his or her approval in addition to the Registered Professional
Engineers approval. After all, it is the Inspector who decides
whether a particular vessel may be stamped.
(g) Resin Control Good resin control is essential to vessel quality. The Quality Control System contains resin specification and
mixing procedures; procedures for the storage, handling, and disposal of resins, catalysts, fillers, pigments, and promoters; and a
procedure for identifying resin during fabrication.
(h) Assembly, Fit-Up, and Dimensions Control Documentation
of methods for assembly, fit-up, dimensional checks, and adhesive
bonding of vessel components are included in the Quality Control
System. The system may also contain procedures for dimensional
control not required by the Code, such as tolerances on nozzle
placement.
(i) Calibration of Measurement and Test Equipment The
Fabricator maintains a system, including documentation, for the
calibration of all examination, measuring, and test equipment
used to show compliance with Code requirements. A description
of the system is included in the Quality Control System manual.
(j) Forms The Quality Control System manual contains sample
forms for documenting all system procedures that must be
followed. Pages 208242 of Section X display many of these
forms. The Fabricator must, however, compose his or her own
forms as well, such as those for documenting resin receipt, storage, and use.

26-44 Chapter 26

(k) Authorized Inspector As stated previously, the Inspector has

access to the Quality Control System manual. In addition, he or
she has access to the design documents and records governed by
the Code that are relevant to the vessels to be inspected.
26.11.2.2 Accreditation of a Fabricator The ASME authorizes
a Fabricators shop to place the RP Section X) Symbol Stamp on
vessels. The authorizing of shops is governed by the ASME Board
on Conformity Assessment, not by the B&PV Code itself. The
Board sends a team to a candidate Fabricator to deter mine
whether his or her shop can produce vessels in conformity with
Section X. The team examines the Quality Control System, the
Procedure Specifications, and the fabrication work in progress;
then recommends to the Board whether to authorize the shop.
Authorizations must be renewed every three years.
26.11.2.3 Example of a Procedure Specification The Procedure
Specification for Class II vessels is defined by completing Form
Q-120, found on pages 219-228 of Section X. Form Q-120 has the
following three parts:
Part I (Fabrication): This part must be completed for each
separately fabricated vessel part, including nozzle necks and
nozzle flanges. It specifies the materials, ply sequence, ply
orientation, and procedures used to fabricate the vessel part.
Part I must be accompanied by Parts II and III.
Part II (Assembly) This part must be completed for every secondary lay-up process required to join vessel parts. It lists the
materials, dimensions, and ply sequences of each secondary
overlay, including not only head-to-shell joints between sep
arate shell courses, but also overlays used to install nozzles,
flange-nozzle neck connections, and opening-reinforcing
pads. Part II must be accompanied by Parts I and III.
Part III (Summary) This part compiles a list of procedures used
to fabricate individual vessel parts and join them into a completed vessel. Part III must be accompanied by Parts I and II.
Appendix 26.C shows a Form Q-120 Procedure Specification
for the Section X design example presented in Section 26.7.
Item I in Part I identifies the vessel, the vessel part for which
the procedure is to be done, and the Fabricator, User, and
Registered Professional Engineer who certify the design. It also
gives the procedure number, the procedure date, and the date the
part was fabricated.
Item II defines the essential design variables: the reinforcing
fiber types; the resin, catalyst, and promoter; the laminate
sequence; and the method of resin cure. In the top head, there are
three types of reinforcementa C-glass veil on the inner surface,
a 1.5 oz/ft randomly oriented mat, and a 24 oz/yd woven roving
after which the ply sequence is stated. The orientation defines the
direction of the weave of the woven-roving relative to the vessel
axis. The woven-roving in the example has four fiber bundles per
in. in one direction and five per in. in the perpendicular direction.
The direction of the four-per-in. bundle coincides with the E1
modulus direction. An orientation of 0 deg. aligns this direction
with the vessel axis.
Item II(B)(3) states that the resin will be cured at room temperature, without a post-cure; (B)(4) gives the design Barcol hardness
as 40  5; (B)(5) is not applicable; and (B)(6) lists the designreinforcing fiber content as 41.1%  1% by weight.

Item III documents the test report that establishes the engineering constants used in design calculation for the vessel.
Item IV documents the design qualification for the top head.
The date the vessel was tested, the design and acceptance test
numbers, and the version of Section X are all given. Item IV(A)
lists the type and batch numbers of the reinforcing fiber forms,
as well as the resin and its catalyst and promoter. With this data,
all materials could be traced through the Fabricators receiving
reports and back to the Material Manufacturers certifications
and quality control data. The catalyst and promoter are chemicals mixed with the resin just before it is used that initiate the
cross-linking reaction that transforms the resin from a thick liquid to a solid. In this case, the catalyst is benzoyl peroxide; the
promoter, dimethylaniline. Other catalysts and promoters are
used to cure vinyl ester resin. Item IV(B) gives the resin data
that the Fabricator collects for each different batch of resin. The
values in the example are typical of vinyl ester resins. Item
IV(C), (D), and (E) each record the results of quality checks and
inspections, and (F) shows the certification by a representative
of the Fabricator and Inspector that the vessel part satisfies
Section X.
Part II of Form Q-120 is a similar compilation for the overlay
that joins the top head to the shell. There are, however, two
important differences. The first is that Part II(B) specifies the surface preparation for the joint by referencing a procedure in the
Fabricators Quality Control Manual. The second is that there are
two lamination sequences, for part of the overlay could be (but is
not required to be) on the inside of the vessel while the rest is on
the outside. Vessels with FRP corrosion barriers will always have
at least the corrosion-barrier overlay part on the inside.
Part III of Form Q-120 provides a list of all Procedure
Specifications for the parts and joint overlays in the vessel. It also
contains the certification by the Authorized Inspector that the vessel satisfies Section X and may receive the Section X RP Symbol
Stamp.
An actual Form Q-120 would be much longer than the one
presented in Appendix 26.C. In addition to having eighteen
overlays, the example vessel has fourteen parts for which Q120, Part I Forms would be required. Each part is four pages
long, so the complete form would be 4  (14  18)  1  129
pages long. Besides the Form Q-120, there are material-receiving reports, mechanical-property test reports, resin test records,
inspection records, the acoustic-emission (AE) test report, and
the design report. Documentation for a Section X vessel is
voluminous.
Procedure Specifications for the various types of Class I vessels
are similar to one another.

26.11.3 RTP-1 Quality Assurance

Quality assurance and shop-accreditation requirements for
RTP-1 are very similar to those for Section X, especially Section
X, Class II. The similarity is not surprising because both RTP-1
and Section X use the same materials and manufacturing methods
and both also require accreditation by an ASME survey team
before vessels are stamped. In addition, both require a Quality
Control System with a written manual, as well as thorough documentation of the design, fabrication, testing, and inspection of
every vessel that receives the ASME mark. RTP-1 and Section X
both result in about the same amount of documentation for vessels of similar complexity.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-45

There are, however, a few significant differences, four of which

are as follows:
As part of the accreditation process, the Fabricator must build
a demonstration vessel to show that his or her shop can build
equipment that satisfies RTP-1. Though small, the vessel has
challenging design details, including a tangential nozzle and a
body flange. The vessel must be available to the ASME team
that surveys the shop.
The Fabricator must produce demonstration laminates of
every type of all laminates that he or she needs to produce
and must conduct tests to determine their mechanical proper ties. The test values must meet the values set by RTP-1.
Inspection personnel are different, as exemplified by the
RTP-1, Article 1-400 passage reproduced in Section 26.9.
Bonders and laminators are tested and certified. Bonders are
craftspeople who join FRP parts by means of secondary bonded
overlays, whereas laminators are craftspeople who build the laminates. To be certified, both must produce sample work according
to written procedures. The sample work is then tested; if it is
found satisfactory, the bonder or laminator may, by using the
written procedures, produce parts for a stamped vessel.

26.11.4 Summary
The quality assurance provisions of both Section X and RTP-1
standards ensure that vessels that receiving the ASME markRP
for Section X, RTP for RTP-1are built according to either of
these standards. Such vessels have high-quality design and fabrication and provide long, reliable service.

26.12

REFERENCES

1. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section X, Riber-Reinforced

Plastic Pressure Vessels; The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
2. ASME RTP-1, Reinforced Thermoset Plastic Corrosion-Resistant
Equipment; The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
3. Beckwith, S. W., Filament WindingThe String and the Glue,
Composite Fabricators Association Web site: http://www.cfahq.org/
documents/StringandGlue.doc.
4. Murphy, J., The Reinforced Plastics Handbook, Elsevier Science
Publishers, 1994, p. 356.
5. Tsai, S. W., and Hahn, H. T., Introduction to Composite Materials,
Technomic Publishing Co., Westport, CT, 1980, p. 280f.
6. Nielsen, L. E., Mechanical Properties of Polymers, Reinhold
Publishing Co., New York, 1962, p. 11.
7. RTP-1, Mandatory Appendix M-11; The American Society of
Mechanical Engineers.
8. ASME Section X, Article RG-113; The American Society of
Mechanical Engineers.
9. ASME Section X, Article RG-121; The American Society of
Mechanical Engineers.
10. Reissner, E., Stresses and Small Displacements of Shallow Spherical
Shells, II, Journal of Mathematical Physics, Vol. 25, No. 4, 1947,
pp. 279300.
11. American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), Manual of Steel
Construction, Allowable Sress Design, 9th ed., pp. 140.

26-46 Chapter 26

APPENDIX

26.A

UBRS FOR RTP-1 EXAMPLE 1

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-47

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 1 or 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBSR Revision No. 0

User firm name Universal Chemical, Inc.

Users Agent firm name Thermoset Consulting
Title of equipment Process Vessel
Users designation no. Equipment Number 1-074
Installation location (name and address) Universal Chemical, Inc.
450 Elm Street
Dekalb, Illinois
UBRS prepared by (User or Users Agent):
Name P. J. Comstock

Phone no. 314-999-0001

Date January 3, 2012

Address Thermoset Consulting

125 Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri
1.

Equipment description (equipment sketch and nozzle schedule must be attached):

See attached sketch and schedule

2.

Additional Fabricator responsibilities:

[ ] Special requirements
[ ] Acoustic emission testing
[ ] Inspection or testing requirements not listed in the Standard

[ ]
[ ]
[ ] User waives visual inspection prior to application of the final exterior coat: [ ] Yes [X] No
[ ] Visual inspection acceptance level (refer to Table 6-1 of ASME RTP-1): [ ] Level 1 [X]Level 2
Quantity limitations for gaseous air bubbles or blisters No more than 10 in any square foot

26-48 Chapter 26

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 2 of 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBRS Revision No. 0
[ ] Additional inspection aids/methods (refer to para. 6-940(c) of ASME RTP-1)

3.

Material Selection
3.1 Material selection by:
[ ] Resin manufacturer (include data per section 4 of this document)
[ ] Fabricator (include data per section 4 of this document)
[X] End User. Applicable Users specifications/standards, codes, ordinances, FDA
requirements, etc. (list and specify; attach copies of local code/ordinances
requirements) Universal Chemical Inc. Specification Std. 48-09 "FRP Equipment"
[ ] Other
3.2 Material of construction:
Resin Derakane 470
Catalyst/cure system Fabricator's Choice
Veil C-glass veil
Barcol hardness per para. 6-910(b)(4) 30
[X] Lift lugs: [ ] RTP
[X] Carbon steel
[ ] Other
[X] Hold down lugs: [ ] RTP
[x] Carbon steel
[ ] Other

4.

Chemical service data (must be provided when Fabricator or resin manufacturer is making
material selection)
4.1 Description of process function and process sequence:

4.2 Contents:
Concentration
Max. %
Min. %

Chemical Name

4.3 pH range:
5.

max.

min.

Design
5.1 Design Conditions:
Internal Pressure
External Pressure
Temperature
Specific gravity
Liquid Level

Operating
0
0
150F
1.2
Top of shell

Design
0
0
150F
1.2
Top of shell

Exposure Time

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-49

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)
Page 3 of 4
RTP Edition No. 2011
UBRS Revision No. 0
Wind/seismic/snow code (include edition or year) ASCE-7/IBC-07
Basic wind speed 90
MPH Classification category
Exposure C
Elevation above grade 0 ft
Topographic factors Flat
Seismic zone 0
Site-specific seismic information (soil type,ground
Motion coefficients, etc.)
Snow load 20
psf
Capacities:
Operating
gal
Flooded

6.

5.2 Mechanical Agitator: [ ] Required

[X] Not Required
Dead load
lb
Static Bending moment
ft-lb
Dynamic bending moment
ft-lb
Torque
ft-lb
Horsepower
hp
Impeller speed
RPM Impeller diameter
in.
Number of impellers
Foot bearing: [ ] Yes
[ ] No
5.3 Heating and cooling:
[ ] Electric panels
[ ] Steam coil
[ ] Steam sparger
[ ] Heat exchanger
[ ] Other
5.4 Mechanical and other forces:
[ ] Violent chemical reaction
[ ] Subsurface introduction of gas or vapor
[ ] Subsurface introduction of steam
[ ] Transmitted mechanical load/force
[ ] Impact due to introduction of solids
[ ] Vacuum from pump down (or vessel draining)
[ ] Vacuum from cool down
[ ] Other
5.5 Corrosion barrier excluded from structural calculations:
[X] Yes
[ ] No
5.6 Declaration of critical service (only by User or Users Agent; refer to para. 1-210 of ASME
RTP-1):
[ ] Yes
[X] No
Designation of Inspector (Review paras. 1-400, 1-430, and 1-440 of ASME RTP-1. It must
recognized that ASME RTP-1 establishes numerous duties for the Inspector, which
necessitates that the Inspector be present in the fabrication shop throughout a major portion
of the fabrication interval.). Inspector shall be:
[ ] Fabricators Quality Control principal
[X] Users representative
[ ] Other

26-50 Chapter 26

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 4 of 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBRS Revision No. 0
Inspectors name Ralph Query
Company Thermoset Consulting
Address 125 Broadway
St. Louis, Mo.
7.

Approval of UBRS
7.1
Authorized Users representative:
Name

7.2

Telephone 608-111-0002

Title

Signature

Date

Authorized Fabricators representative:

Name

Title

Signature

Date

Additional requirements:

GENERAL NOTE: This form may be reproduced and used without written permission from ASME if
used for purposes other than republication.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-51

26-52 Chapter 26

APPENDIX

26.B

UBRS FOR RTP-1 EXAMPLE 2

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-53

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 1 or 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBSR Revision No. 0

User firm name Universal Chemical, Inc.

Users Agent firm name Thermoset Consulting
Title of equipment Process Vessel
Users designation no. Equipment Number 1-075
Installation location (name and address) Universal Chemical, Inc.
450 Elm Street
Dekalb, Illinois
UBRS prepared by (User or Users Agent):
Name P. J. Comstock

Phone no. 314-999-0001

Date January 3, 2012

Address Thermoset Consulting

125 Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri
1.

Equipment description (equipment sketch and nozzle schedule must be attached):

See attached sketch and schedule

2.

Additional Fabricator responsibilities:

[ ] Special requirements
[ ] Acoustic emission testing
[ ] Inspection or testing requirements not listed in the Standard

[ ]
[ ]
[ ] User waives visual inspection prior to application of the final exterior coat: [ ] Yes [X] No
[ ] Visual inspection acceptance level (refer to Table 6-1 of ASME RTP-1): [ ] Level 1 [X]Level 2
Quantity limitations for gaseous air bubbles or blisters No more than 10 in any square foot

26-54 Chapter 26

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 2 of 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBRS Revision No. 0
[ ] Additional inspection aids/methods (refer to para. 6-940(c) of ASME RTP-1)

3.

Material Selection
3.1 Material selection by:
[ ] Resin manufacturer (include data per section 4 of this document)
[ ] Fabricator (include data per section 4 of this document)
[X] End User. Applicable Users specifications/standards, codes, ordinances, FDA
requirements, etc. (list and specify; attach copies of local code/ordinances
requirements) Universal Chemical Inc. Specification Std. 48-09 "FRP Equipment"
[ ] Other
3.2 Material of construction:
Resin Derakane 470
Catalyst/cure system Fabricator's Choice
Veil C-glass veil
Barcol hardness per para. 6-910(b)(4) 30
[X] Lift lugs: [ ] RTP
[X] Carbon steel
[ ] Other
[X] Hold down lugs: [ ] RTP
[x] Carbon steel
[ ] Other

4.

Chemical service data (must be provided when Fabricator or resin manufacturer is making
material selection)
4.1 Description of process function and process sequence:

4.2 Contents:
Concentration
Max. %
Min. %

Chemical Name

4.3 pH range:
5.

max.

min.

Design
5.1 Design Conditions:
Internal Pressure
External Pressure
Temperature
Specific gravity
Liquid Level

Operating
0.5 psig
4 psig
120F
1.4
Full

Design
5 psig
10 psig
120F
1.4
full

Exposure Time

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-55

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)
Page 3 of 4
RTP Edition No. 2011
UBRS Revision No. 0
Wind/seismic/snow code (include edition or year) Indoor tank
Basic wind speed
MPH Classification category
Exposure
Elevation above grade 0 ft
Topographic factors Flat
Seismic zone 0
Site-specific seismic information (soil type,ground
Motion coefficients, etc.)
Snow load 20
psf
Capacities:
Operating
gal
Flooded

6.

5.2 Mechanical Agitator: [ ] Required

[X] Not Required
Dead load
lb
Static Bending moment
ft-lb
Dynamic bending moment
ft-lb
Torque
ft-lb
Horsepower
hp
Impeller speed
RPM Impeller diameter
in.
Number of impellers
Foot bearing: [ ] Yes
[ ] No
5.3 Heating and cooling:
[ ] Electric panels
[ ] Steam coil
[ ] Steam sparger
[ ] Heat exchanger
[ ] Other
5.4 Mechanical and other forces:
[ ] Violent chemical reaction
[ ] Subsurface introduction of gas or vapor
[ ] Subsurface introduction of steam
[ ] Transmitted mechanical load/force
[ ] Impact due to introduction of solids
[ ] Vacuum from pump down (or vessel draining)
[ ] Vacuum from cool down
[ ] Other
5.5 Corrosion barrier excluded from structural calculations:
[X] Yes
[ ] No
5.6 Declaration of critical service (only by User or Users Agent; refer to para. 1-210 of ASME
RTP-1):
[ ] Yes
[X] No
Designation of Inspector (Review paras. 1-400, 1-430, and 1-440 of ASME RTP-1. It must
recognized that ASME RTP-1 establishes numerous duties for the Inspector, which
necessitates that the Inspector be present in the fabrication shop throughout a major portion
of the fabrication interval.). Inspector shall be:
[ ] Fabricators Quality Control principal
[X] Users representative
[ ] Other

26-56 Chapter 26

ASME RTP-1-2011

Table 1-1 Users Basic Requirements Specification (UBRS) (Contd)

(As Required by the Provisions of ASME RTP-1)

Page 4 of 4

RTP Edition No. 2011

UBRS Revision No. 0
Inspectors name Ralph Query
Company Thermoset Consulting
Address 125 Broadway
St. Louis, Mo.
7.

Approval of UBRS
7.1
Authorized Users representative:
Name

7.2

Telephone 608-111-0002

Title

Signature

Date

Authorized Fabricators representative:

Name

Title

Signature

Date

Additional requirements:

GENERAL NOTE: This form may be reproduced and used without written permission from ASME if
used for purposes other than republication.

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-57

26-58 Chapter 26

APPENDIX

26.C

EXAMPLE PROCEDURE SPECIFICATION FOR A SECTION X VESSEL

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-59

26-60 Chapter 26

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-61

26-62 Chapter 26

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-63

26-64 Chapter 26

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-65

26-66 Chapter 26

COMPANION GUIDE TO THE ASME BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE 26-67

26-68 Chapter 26

26-70 Chapter 26