An assessment of ASME III and CEN TC54 methods of determining plastic and limit loads for pressure system components

The paper considers three different pressure system components-a nozzle in a torisphere subjected to moment loading, a piping branch junction subjecte d to out-of-plane moment loading and an unpierced torispherical head under pressure loading. The results from non-linear, finite element, stress analy ses are used to compare the limit and plastic loads obtained using the ASME III twice-elastic-slope and the CEN TC54 tangent intersection definitions. The results highlight the difficulties involved in quantifying limit loads and plastic loads for such components.