Temperature Gradients in Skirt Supports of Hot Vessels

A discussion of the variables involved in the temperature gradient along a skirt support for a hot vessel is presented. A method is presented for reasonably approximating the maximum gradient since the temperature curve is rarely linear. For guidance in applying the formula and to illustrate the effect of some of the variables, several basic cases are calculated, using three different skirt support thicknesses and considering bare, fireproofed, and insulated types of skirts. Having a formula for a steady-state temperature along the length of a skirt, it is possible by means of mathematical manipulations to obtain the value of the radius of curvature of the neutral axis at any point. Using this, it is then possible to calculate the axial tension and compression stresses on the inside and outside of a free skirt wall.