Approximate Prediction of Hoop Stresses at Major Sections of Tee Intersections of Cylindrical Shells Subjected to Internal Pressure

An approximate method is formulated to predict elastic hoop stresses in the longitudinal plane of unreinforced pressurized tees using axisymmetric solutions from plate-cylindrical shell intersections. These stresses are compared with experimental data and finite element results. Correspondence of values is such that the present method may be preferred to a full-scale finite element analysis for some cases. A comparison is also made between the hoop stresses in the transverse plane of tees and those in sphere-cylinder intersections. Hoop stresses from these two solutions do not compare.