Design of Conical Shells Under External Loads

The background is presented for the rules for conical shells and reducers under external pressure which were recently added to Section VIII, Division 1. A simplified method for the design of conical shells under external pressure is developed from theoretical and experimental data. The design procedure is similar to that published by ASME for cylindrical shells. Design criteria for the conical-to-cylindrical junction is also established in terms of the minimum required area and moment of inertia at the junction.