Design of vessels subjected to external pressure

An analytical procedure, developed to simulate the graphic method for the design of vessels subjected to external pressure or vacuum, suggested by the ASME Code, Section VIII, Division 1, is presented in this contribution. A comprehensive computer program based on this method is also presented. The program also covers the design of stiffener rings. The procedure can be easily extended to include other international standards such as the British and German codes, since the method is based on the concept of the number of lobes at collapse. The method produced reproducible results over the entire range of L/D₀ and D₀/t ratios of the code. The deviation observed at any point in this range is less than 0.5% for factor A. The variation in allowable pressure is less than 2%.