Engineering International Conference 2013 Proceeding

p-ISBN: 97925-2784
November 21st, 2013, Semarang, Indonesia

Finite Element Analysis Of Pressure Cooker

Kriswanto

Sunyoto

Master of Mechanical Engineering

Diponegoro University
Semarang, Indonesia
kriswanto.tm@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineering
Semarang State University
Semarang, Indonesia
sonyoto@yahoo.com

AbstractThis paper presents stress analysis and

deformations using 3D CAD models pressure cooker
assembly and finite element analysis (FEA) simulation of
various wall thickness of the pressure cooker parts at
workload conditions using CATIA V5 software. FEA to
calculate stress and displacement that occur cause of load
applied. Design of pressure cooker with 30 kg soft spines
milkfish capacity has a geometry in 500 mm diameter, total
high of 900 mm, design based on ASME using CATIA V5.
Evaluation results using FEA CATIA show that 5 mm
thickness is the acceptable minimum thickness from
accaptance criteria where von mises stress is less than
allowable strength material (SA 240 Grade 304). FEA
analysis produces displacement 4.55 mm at 5mm pressure
cooker wall thickness are assembled with a rubber gasket.
When the rubber gasket removed, displacement generated
only by 0.9 mm. The pressure cooker design has been
analyzed in several acceptable thicknesses in term of safe
design, so design with 5mm thickness of pressure cooker can
be safe to use. The 5 mm thickness of the pressure cooker is
the most economically wall thickness.

required of tube and head thickness of the pressure

cooker.

Keywords- stress analysis; FEA; pressure cooker; ASME

code; CATIA V5

I. INTRODUCTION
Pressure Cooker is a cookware that utilizing hot steam
for cooking food. The pressure cooker which made by
Unnes has been applied by small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) of soft spines milkfish in Central Java.
The SMEs of soft spines milkfish needs a pressure cooker
that produces high quality, safe, and energy efficient. The
pressure cooker which made by Unnes has several
advantages over existing pressure cooker, among others:
higher productivity (big capacity), efficient of time, low
energy and low cost of production needed [1]. The
research about the quality of the production pressure
cooker based on parameters of temperature and pressure,
show that pressure cooker is capable of producing soft
spines milkfish with relative higher protein levels than the
pressure cooking process conducted by another
entrepreneurs [2]. Working system of a pressure cooker
similarly with pressure vessel, so in designing a pressure
cooker based on ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
section VIII. The design method of pressure cooker
according to ASME (American Society of Mechanical
Engineers) code as known as "design by rule" uses design
pressure, allowable stress and a design formula
compatible with the geometry to calculate the minimum
eic.ft.unnes.ac.id

The pressure cooker design has been using ASME

Code, but the stress analysis of design has not been
performed. Stress is one of the main causes of failure of a
pressure vessel [3]. Pressure cooker similarly with
pressure vessel, so stress is the main component that must
be analysis.If the stress on a part at a critical location (the
applied stress) is also known precisely, if the materials
strength (the allowable strength) is also known with
precision and the allowable strength is greater than the
applied stress, then the part will not fail [4]. Stress
analysis is performed in order to ensure that a design will
fulfill its intended function in a given loads environment.
This paper presents stress analysis and deformations using
three dimentional (3D) CAD (Computer Aided Design)
models pressure cooker assembly and finite element
analysis (FEA) simulation of the various thickness of a
pressure cooker wall at workload conditions. The FEA is
a numerical procedure that can be applied to obtain
solutions to a large class of engineering problems
involving stress analysis, heat transfer, electromagnetism,
and fluid flow. The 3D CAD models and FEA simulations
is used in this work is CATIA V5 software.
II. DESIGN AND ANALYSIS PRESSURE COOKER
A. Design by Rule
To design a pressure cooker with 30 kg capacity soft
spines milkfish requires geometric shell in 500 mm
diameter and high of 780 mm. Its volume can contain 6
racks, which each of them can accommodate 5 kg soft
spines milkfish. Design of pressure cooker according to
ASME code. The formula in ASME Section I and Section
VIII are used to determine the minimum required
thickness and design pressure of shells and headers using
the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP) [5].
The maximum allowable stress values to be use in the
calculation of the pressure cooker wall thickness are given
in the ASME Code for many different materials. These
stress values are a function of temperature.The material of
food equipment allowed are stainless steel, type in the
AISI 200 series, AISI 300 series, or AISI 400 series [6].
The material that used in pressure cooker design is AISI
304.
The rules for cylindrical shells in ASME section VIII1 and VIII-2 assumse a circular cross section with uniform

Engineering International Conference 2013 Proceeding

p-ISBN: 97925-2784
November 21st, 2013, Semarang, Indonesia
thickness in
directions.

the

circumferential

and

longitudinal

1. Thin Cylindrical Shells

Pressure cooker using thin cylindrical shells, the
Geometry of the pressure cooker shell is:
Diameter (D) and high of shell = 500 mm= 19.685
in.
Desain pressure of pressure cooker is (P): 2 bar (29
Psi) obtained from effective working of pressure
cooker [5].
Maximum Allowable Stress According to ASME
Section II for material SA 240 Grade 304 = 11200
Psi [5].

surfaces, deforms to fill in the valleys and compress on

the high points. The gasket must be soft enough to
deform, yet strong enough to resist being squeezed out by
the pressure carried in the machinery.
Geometry of gasket of pressure cooker is:
Inside diameter of gasket = 500 mm
Thickness of gasket= 13mm
B. Modeling of Pressure Cooker
Drawing parts of pressure cooker are using CATIA V5
software. The Geometry of drawing obtained from
geometry calculation of pressure cooker part that refers to
ASME section VII. Fig. 1 show the detail drawing of
pressure cooker.

Shell radius of wall (R) = 250 mm = 9.84 in.

Welding factor for welded pipe (E) = 0.85
Circumferential Stress (longitudinal welds), when,
29 psi < 0.385 x 20000 psi x 0.85.
The equation for the required thickness in the
circumference direction, due to internal pressure is given
as:

PR
, when t 0.5RorP 0.385SE
SE 0.6 P
(1)
29 Psix9.84in

0.03 in = 0.76 mm
11200 Psix0.85 0.6 x 29 Psi

(a)

2. Dished Heads Formulae

ASME section VIII-1 determines the rules for dished
heads. Head of pressure cooker using elliptical head.The
commonly used ellipsoidal head has a ratio of base radius
to depth of 2:1. The actual shape can be approximated by
a spherical radius of 0.9 D and a knuckle radius of 0.17 D.
Geometry of head of pressure cooker is
Straight Skirt Length (h) = D = x 19.685 in =
4.92 in
Radius L = 0.9 D = 0.9 x 19.685 = 17.72 in
Radius r1 = 0.17 D = 0.17 x 19.685= 3.35 in
The required thickness of 2:1 heads with pressure on
the concave side is given below:
PD
t
2SE 0.2 P
(2)
29 Psix19.685in

0.03 in = 0.76 mm
2 x11200 Psix0.85 0.2 x 29 Psi

(b)
Figure 1. Detail drawing of pressure cooker (a) shell with end cap
support (b) elliptical head.

From the 3D model of pressure cooker using software

CATIA V5 we can get a data of volume, mass, and inertia
of the pressure cooker part. The mass of pressure cooker
be use as applied load for the FEA simulation.

3. Gasket
A gasket is used to create a seal between mating
surfaces of machines or piping assemblies. The seal is
necessary to prevent leakage of gas, liquid, or dust into or
out of these assemblies [7]. When a gasket is clamped
between the mating surfaces of a joint it must deform
enough to compensate for the imperfections in the finish
of the mating surfaces. The clamping pressure applied to
these joints does not create enough distortion in the
flanges to effect a seal, so a gasket, placed between these
eic.ft.unnes.ac.id

(a)

(b)

Figure 2. Three dimensional model of pressure cooker (a) shell (b)

elliptical head.

Engineering International Conference 2013 Proceeding

p-ISBN: 97925-2784
November 21st, 2013, Semarang, Indonesia
C. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of Pressure Cooker
Failure of thin cylindrical pressure vessel occurs in
two ways, it may fail along the longitudinal section i.e.
circumferentially or it may fail along the transverse
section i.e. longitudinally. Two types of tensile stresses
occur in pressure vessels. One is circumferential or hoop
stress and the other one is longitudinal stress.
Longitudinal stress is half of the circumferential or hoop
stress. Therefore, the design of the pressure vessel must be
based on the circumferential or hoop stress [8].
The finite element analysis (FEA) is a numerical
technique for finding approximate solutions of partial
differential equations (PDE) as well as of integral
equations. The solution approach is based either on
eliminating the differential equation completely, or
rendering the PDE into an approximating system of
ordinary differential equations, which are then
numerically integrated using standard techniques such as
Euler's method, Runge-Kutta, etc [9]. The uniform
cylinders having axis of symmetry are analized using axisymmentric elements. These elements adapt a different
stress strain matrix & stiffness matrix is derived a/c the
following formula.

k BT .D.B.dr.d .

(3)

Finite element method software that is used in the

stress analysis of pressure cooker is software CATIA V5.
FEA simulation using CATIA V5 to calculate stress
and displacement of the thickness variety of pressure
cooker design. Analysis only performed on assembly of
three main part (shell, head and gasket). Assembly of
pressure cooker is then subjected to an internal pressure,
load the content applied, temperature field when operate,
mass off the pressure cooker and then corresponding
maximum von mises stress values and deformation are
noted from the analysis results. The iterative procedure is
continued till the von mises stress reaches near about yield
strength values.
While modeling and carrying analysis in CATIA the
following cylinder with specified dimensions are chosen
and modeled in the software CATIA. The assumptions are
made:
1. Material is perfectly elastic.
2. Default tetrahedral mesh gives enough accuracy.
The factor of safety is a factor of ignorance. If the
allowable strength is greater than the applied stress, then
the part will not fail. Design will be accept if the factor of
safety is more than 1. Factor of safety formula is:

FS

Sallow
ap

(4)

The material considered used for pressure cooker

sheel and head is SA 240 Grade 304 refer to ASME
section II Table 1, with main properties as specified in
Table I.

eic.ft.unnes.ac.id

TABLE I.

MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF PRESSURE COOKER PART [11]

Material Properties
Material
Young's modulus (N/m2)
Poisson's ratio
Density (kg/m3)
Coef. of thermal expansion
K
Yield strength (N/m2)

Shells
SA 240
Grade 304
1.93e+011
0.29
8030

Head
SA 240
Grade 304
1.93e+011
0.29
8030

Gasket
Natural
Rubber
2e+006
0.49
910

9.4e-006

9.4e-006

1.62e-004

2.05e+008

2.05e+008

The load cases of pressure cooker to be considered

during the analysis are listed in Table II.
TABLE II. LOAD CASES ON PRESSURE COOKER
Type of Load
Internal Pressure
Axial Load (loadofcontents)
Temperature Field
Mass of pressure cooker

Magnitude
2e+005 N/m2 (2 bar)
300 N (30 kg)
373.15 K (100 C)
950 N (95 kg)

III. RESULTS
The pressure cooker being designed ASME section
VIII. From the formula in ASME section VIII can decide
minimum thickness of wall thick cylinder sell through Eq.
1. Geometry of elliptical head obtained from Eq. 2. The
formula based on design pressure. Minimum thickness of
pressure cooker is 0.76 mm. Pressure cooker capacity 30
kg has a geometry in 500 mm diameter, total high of 900
mm.
A. FEA Results of Pressure Cooker with Gasket No Load
300N and No Temperature Applied
FEA results of pressure cooker in variety thickness
with gasket where the applied load is 2e+005 N/m2 of
internal pressure, 950 N of mass, without application of
temperature and content load shown in the table III.
TABLE III. FEA RESULTS OF PRESSURE COOKER IN VARIETY
THICKNESS WITH GASKET, NO LOAD 300N AND NO TEMPERATURE
APPLIED
No
1
2
3

Thickness of Shell and

Head (mm)
0.7
0.9
1.5

Von Mises Stress (N/m2)

5.6e+008
5.5e+007
4.34e+007

FEA results get the minimum thickness of the pressure

cooker that suitable the acceptable criteria is 0.9 mm
thickness. The von mises stress of 0.9 mm thickness
(5.5e+007 N/m2) is less than the allowable strength of
pressure cooker material (2.05e+008 N/m2).
Fig. 3 shown the 3D model von mises stress at nodal
of pressure cooker, where maximum stress (5.5e+007
N/m2) is in the red area, while the minimum stress (0) is
the blue area. The red area is stress distribution of tensile
stress. The analysis did not reveal any compressive stress,
so the stress that occurs in a pressure cooker only tensile
stress.

Engineering International Conference 2013 Proceeding

p-ISBN: 97925-2784
November 21st, 2013, Semarang, Indonesia
The 3D model a von mises stress at nodal of pressure
cooker shown in the fig. 4, where maximum stress
(1.97e+007 N/m2) is in the red area, while the minimum
stress (0) is the blue area. The red area is stress
distribution of tensile stress. The analysis did not reveal
any compressive stress, so the stress that occurs in a
pressure cooker only tensile stress. Maximum von mises
stress as shown in contact area of assembly shell and
head.

Figure 3. The von mises stress of 0.9 mm thickness pressure cooker

with gasket no load 300N and no temperature applied

B. FEA Results of Pressure Cooker with Gasket Loaded

300N and No Temperature Applied
FEA results of pressure cooker in variety thickness
with gasket where the applied load is 300 N of load,
2e+005 N/m2 of internal pressure, 950 N of mass, no
temperature applied shown in the table IV.
TABLE IV. FEA RESULTS OF PRESSURE COOKER IN VARIETY
THICKNESS WITH GASKET LOADED 300N, NO TEMPERATURE APPLIED
No
1
2
3

Thickness of Shell and

Head (mm)
0.7
0.9
1.5

Von Mises Stress (N/m2)

5.6e+008
5.5e+007
4.34e+007

The results of von mises stress of pressure cooker that

apply a 300 N load compared with no applying a 300 N
load is not different. These results suggest that loading
300 N (contents load) does not influence the results of the
stress analysis. Based the FEA result, the minimum
thickness of the pressure cooker that no temperature
applied that suitable the acceptable criteria is 0.9 mm
thickness

Figure 4. The von mises stress of 5mm thickness pressure cooker with
gasket

Von mises stress result from FEA CATIA V5 then

being investigated in acceptable criteria with factor of
safety. The respective design check of the method being
investigated is accepted if the ratio is more than one.

Fs

2.05e 008N / m2
1.04
1.97e 008N / m2

C. FEA Results of Pressure Cooker with Gasket Loaded

300N and Temperature Applied
FEA results of pressure cooker in variety thickness
with gasket where the applied load is 300 N of load,
2e+005 N/m2 of internal pressure, 950 N of mass, and
100C temperature applied shown in the table V.
TABLE V. RESULTS OF PRESSURE COOKER IN VARIETY THICKNESS
WITH GASKET LOADED 300N, TEMPERATURE 100C APLLIED
No
1
2
3
4
5

Thickness of Shell
and Head (mm)
3
3.5
4
4.5
5

Von Mises Stress

(N/m2)
2.42 e+008
2.34 e+008
2.2 e+008
2.14 e+008
1.97 e+008

Diplacement (mm)
4.65
4.64
4.63
4.62
4.55

The von mises stress that less than allowable strength

(2.05e+008 N/m2) is 1.97e+008 N/m2 which is pressure
cooker on 5mm thickness. Thickness of pressure cooker
that less than 5 mm produce von mises stress greater than
allowable strength, so that thickness less than 5 mm is a
design failure.
eic.ft.unnes.ac.id

Figure 5. The translational diplacement of 5 mm thickness pressure

cooker with gasket

Fig. 4 shows the 3D model deformation of pressure

cooker, the maximum translantional diplacement vector is
4.55 mm. The maximum deformation shown in red arrows
indicate the component gasket.

Engineering International Conference 2013 Proceeding

p-ISBN: 97925-2784
November 21st, 2013, Semarang, Indonesia
IV. CONCLUSION

Figure 6. The translational diplacement of 5 mm thick pressure cooker

without gasket.

When the gasket is removed from the pressure cooker

on the thickness of 5mm, FEA results is shown in fig. 6
The smallest deformation (4.55 mm) is on 5 mm thickness
of pressure cooker. The deformation shown on component
gasket. When the gasket is removed from the pressure
cooker on the thickness of 5 mm, the displacement is
0.9 mm. Translantional displacement certainly be small
because the rubber material has a high elasticity. Rubber
material also serves as an additional safety when the
pressure cooker produce over pressure, although here
have been a safety valve.
D. FEA results of pressure cooker at 5mm thickness
when temperature variety applied
TABLE VI.

FEA RESULTS OF PRESSURE COOKER AT 5MM

THICKNESS WHEN TEMPERATURE VARIETY APPLIED

No
1
2
3
4

Temperature (C)
100
80
60
0

Von mises stress (N/m2)

1.97e+008
1.34+008
7.64e+007
2.07e+007

When the temperature in the pressure cooker was

varied, von mises stress decreased corresponding to the
decrease of the temperature. Maximum von mises stress
as shown in contact area of assembly shell and head.
When the temperature in the pressure cooker is 80 C, von
mises stress resulted from FEA CATIA is 1.34+008 N/m2.
The analysis as shown in fig. 7 did not reveal any
compressive stress, so the stress that occurs ina pressure
cooker only tensile stress. The von mises stress is stress
distribution of tensile stress. The analysis did not reveal
any compressive stress, so the stress that occurs in a
pressure cooker only tensile stress.

Figure 7. The von mises stress of 5 mm thickness pressure cooker at

temperature 80C.

eic.ft.unnes.ac.id

A. Summary
Design of pressure cooker capacity of 30 kg soft
spines milkfish based on ASME using CATIA V5.
Pressure cooker has a geometry in 500 mm diameter, total
high of 900 mm. Evaluation results using FEA CATIA V5
show 5 mm on thickness is the minimum thickness
acceptable from acceptance criteria where von mises
stress (1.97e+008 N/m2) is less than allowable strength
material SA 240 Grade 304 (2.05e+008 N/m2). FEA result
shown the smallest deformation is 4,55 mm at 5 mm wall
thickness are assembled with rubber gasket, when a
rubber gasket removed, displacement generated only by
0.9 mm. The pressure cooker design has been analyzed in
several thickness acceptable in term of safe design
(acceptance criteria), so design of 5 mm thickness of
pressure cooker can be safe to use. The 5 mm thickness of
the pressure cooker is the most economically wall
thickness.
B. Advice
The minimum thickness of pressure cooker design that
safe to use is 5 mm with SF 1.04, if we want to get a
greater factor of safety (FS), we can use a thickness
greater than 5 mm.
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[1]