scope:

During the past ten years an extensive test program on nozzles and openings with integral reinforcing has been carried out under the guidance of the Pressure Vessel Research Committee of the Welding Research Council. Integral reinforcing is defined as reinforcing which is fully continuous with the shell; as contrasted to pad or saddle reinforcements, which are welded to the shells at the inner and outer peripheries. The ASME Nuclear Vessels Code requires that reinforcing be integral; the test program summarized in Ref. 1 was intended to provide design data for such integrally reinforced openings. The results of this test program is now reflected in the ASME Nuclear Vessels Code in the form of stress indices and work is underway to more generally revise ASME Code rules for design of integrally reinforced openings. However, many and perhaps most openings in pressure vessels are reinforced with pads or saddles; i.e., non integral reinforcing. The purpose of this report is to review available data on non integrally reinforced openings as perhaps a first step towards improvement in code design rules for such reinforcing.