Analysis of Thin-Walled Pressure Vessel Under Internal Pressure Using Taguchi Method and ANOVA

This paper presents a systematic design optimisation and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of a thin-walled cylindrical pressure vessel subjected to internal pressure using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Four design parameters — shell thickness (t), vessel diameter (D), material grade (IS 2062, SA 516 Gr 70, SS 304), and end cap type (hemispherical, ellipsoidal, flat) — were investigated at three levels each. Response variables include maximum Von Mises stress (σ_vm), hoop stress (σ_h), and total deformation (δ). ANOVA revealed shell thickness as the most significant factor with 48.6 percent contribution to Von Mises stress, followed by material grade (26.4 percent) and vessel diameter (18.2 percent). FEA simulations in ANSYS Workbench 2023R1 validated analytical results with less than 5 percent deviation. SA 516 Gr 70 steel with hemispherical end caps at optimum thickness achieved a safety factor of 4.2 — 31 percent higher than the initial flat-cap design — while reducing material volume by 18 percent. Confirmation experiments validated predicted optimal values within 3.8 percent error.