Geometry of Scalloped Closures for Cylindrical Vessels

Conical closures for cylindrical tanks are easily fabricated and hence would be economical if not for the large stresses developed at the sharp-cornered junction between cylinder and cone, especially for a fairly flat closure. The scalloped closure presented has been shown to retain most of the desired characteristics of the cone while carrying the loads more effectively. This results in substantial material savings. In order to understand how the scalloped closure resists the applied loads, the geometry must be thoroughly understood. The geometry necessary to analyze, design and fabricate the scalloped closure is presented.