Cast pressure vessel? 2

[JMirisola]

Just looking for some recommendations from anyone who has experience with casting pressure vessels. While we've worked with rolled material (A516 GR70) here, we're looking at doing some R&D with a cast vessel. We're currently researching various materials, but being able to narrow the scope would be helpful. Also, being able to glean insight from someone who has already traveled this path would be most appreciated.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[metengr]

JMirisola;
What comes to my mind are valve bodies which obviously can be supplied in cast form, and contain pressure. As long as the cast material is permitted in Section VIII, Div 1, UG-4, and UG-7, you can design and fabricate a cast pressure vessel.

 

[puigi]

A516 GR 70 is a plate specification. A casting specification for a material in the same group would be A216 GR WCB.

 

[JMirisola]

metengr & puigi,
Thanks for the info, it'll definitely help.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[JMirisola]

I just read that A216 GR WCB is only good up to 600 psi. We'll need the vessel to be able to go to 3,000 psi. It looks like A105 may be the way to go, but any input from industry experts would be welcomed.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[jamesl]

I have seen SA 217 used in high strength applications.

A105 is a forging. Did you check part UF of the code? SA 372 should be good for high pressure application.

 

[puigi]

JMirisola:

Where did you read about that pressure limitation? I have the A216M spec and there is no mention of it. The design of the vessel will determine MAWP.
The most important limitation for this material is temperature, it is not recommended for prolonged use above 425 deg C.

 

[SNORGY]

I would be more concerned about the QA/QC of the casting to determine if there are any flaws or defects. Perhaps the material specifications and Code adequately address that, though. I have had bad experiences with pump castings that crack and crankshafts that fail due to stress risers (flaws / voids) in the casting.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[JMirisola]

puigi,
I believe it was in an older thread here on eng-tips that gave me that bit of (incorrect?) info. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday searching for casting materials that would meet our needs. Of the 5 I found that met the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code, 3 appear to be good for us. My biggest concern now is finding accurate material properties so we can properly test the design. The three are ASTM A487, A352 and A217. Matweb had some info, but I'm hoping to find corroborating data.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[metengr]

JMirisola;
Specific material properties will not be as useful to you from a design standpoint as allowable stress values. The allowable stress tables in ASME B&PV Code, Section II, Part D, were developed to establish minimum wall thickness.

 

[JMirisola]

metengr,
Allowable stress was part of what I am looking for. Unfortunately, we don't currently have access to ASME B&PV Code, Section II, Part D. Yet another item to add to my 'to-do' list.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog