Introduction to WRC 107: Concepts,

Limitations and Formula

Welding research council bulletin 107 which is globally known as WRC-107
introduces one of well-known and important methods for calculation of local
stresses in junction of shell and nozzle. This method was developed by
Professor B.P.Bijlaard and firstly published by WRC in 1965. Some well-
known softwares such as CAESAR II, PVElit and Compress use this method
for nozzle loads checking. There are some important items that engineers who
use these softwares should be aware. Its limitations, scope and concepts of
local stress cause are mentioned here. WRC-107 consists of many curves
enabling engineers to calculate all types of local stresses caused by external
loads exerting on a circular or rectangular nozzle on shell elements. The nozzle
is assumed to be penetrated to a cylindrical or spherical shell.
As shown in figure 1, local stresses are calculated at 8 points, named
as , located on two levels, upper and lower plates. The
local stresses are calculated by some geometric parameters which can be
extracted by curves. For making a proper stress combination according to stress
categories introduced in ASME BPVC Section VIII Div 2, an engineer should
know the types of all local stresses and their causes.
Figure 1: 6 external loads and 8 points on which local stresses are studied in WRC-107
1- Local stress types due to external loads
WRC-107 supports 6 external loads in local stress calculation: Axial force, two
lateral force, torsional moment and two bending moments as shown in figure
1. Each load creates some types of local stresses such as membrane or bending
stresses in two directions: longitudinal and circumferential. Depending on
other applied loadings such as system weight, internal or external pressure,
wind or earthquake, snow, thermal loads and etc., each type of mentioned local
stresses should be combined with their relative stresses in a proper way. The
outcome may lead to under design or overdesign If piping stress engineers or
pressure vessel engineers who take care of nozzle loads, do not know how to
treat all extracted local stresses properly. For overcoming this common
problem, engineers must have knowledge about firstly all types of local
stresses and secondly stress combination methods which have been introduced
by ASME BPVC Section VIII Div 2. Sign of stresses are important in the stress
combination.
1-1-Local stresses due to axial force, P

Figure 2: Longitudinal and circumferential membrane stresses due to an external axial load
Figure 3: Longitudinal and circumferential bending stresses due to an external axial load
1-1-1-Membrane stress
Axial force, P, pushes the joint lines on which mentioned 8 points are placed
in such a way a resistant force comes up. As shown in figure 2, the joint line
tends to move in both longitudinal and circumferential directions but because
of the resistance, two forces appear.

Users can refer to proper curves to extract by help of geometric

parameters.

1-1-2-Bending stress
Axial load bend the junction line locally as shown in figure 3 and creates two
bending moments at each 8 points: one in circumferential direction, , and
the other in longitudinal direction, .

The mentioned bending stresses which are defined as can be

extracted by proper curves.

1-2-Local stresses due to longitudinal bending moment

Figure 4: Longitudinal and circumferential membrane stresses due to

Figure 5: Longitudinal and circumferential bending stresses due to

1-2-1-Membrane stress
Referring to figure 4, tends to push point A and pull point B. So, because
of existing resistance against them, two forces appear: one in longitudinal and
another in circumferential direction. Actually these forces stem from
resistance of the adjacent area against the pushing and pulling. These forces
which are shown in figure 4 as create membrane stresses named
as which can be calculated based on from suitable
curves.

1-2-2-Bending Stress
As shown in figure 5, the longitudinal bending moment bends edges A and B
locally in such away two bending moments are created at the points A and B:
a longitudinal bending moment, , and a circumferential bending
moment, . The relative stresses are defined as they are
calculated by which are extracted by proper curves.

1-3-Local stresses due to external circumferential bending moment

The circumferential bending moment creates membrane and bending stresses
at points C and D in a similar way described in section 1-2: “longitudinal
bending moment” part. For calculating the mentioned stresses, should be
substituted by and proper curves must be used.

1-4-Shear stresses resulting from external torsional moment ( ) and external

lateral forces
Figure 6: Shear stresses
The lateral forces including longitudinal and circumferential, named
as respectively, as well as torsional moment named as produce shear
stresses which can be calculated based on the formula in WRC-107. These
shear stresses are clearly shown in figure 6.

1-5-Stress calculation summary table

The table 1 can be used to calculate the mentioned stresses when using WRC-
107. In this table, all required stress elements and their curves number are
addressed for points . The direction (longitudinal/ circumferential),
category (membrane/ bending) and the source load are clearly mentioned in
the table.
 Table 1: Local stresses stemming from 6 external loads with stress sources
2-Assumptions and limitations
WRC-107 is not applicable for all cases. Actually, because of some limitations
blind use of WRC-107 may lead to a dangerous design. Therefore engineers
who use this method must be familiar with the restrictions. Some of these
limitations result from geometrical parameters which are used in the curves or
the areas which are covered by them. Some of these limitations are as follows:
 WRC-107 is limited to stresses on shells not on nozzles. So, this method
cannot be used for cases in which maximum stress takes place on a nozzle
instead of a shell. It maybe happens when the nozzle is not strong enough
comparing to the shell and so there is a possibility that the maximum stress
goes to nozzle. In this case WRC-297 maybe used instead.
 When stiffness of a connecting pipe differs significantly from shell at the
nozzle-shell junction, depending on this difference, elastic characteristic of
system and temperature difference, a plastic failure at the part of system which
has smaller stiffness may take place. Strain concentration factor is used and
calculated to show this possibility. WRC-107 says nothing about this factor.
Finite element software such as Nozzle Pro or FE Pipe give the factor in their
results.
WRC-107 - Tips

Nikki Crowell-Taynton

Dec 11, 2015

What is the WRC-107 Analysis?

The WRC-107 Analysis calculates the combined local stress intensity from external loads at the
junction of an attachment and a shell or head. The method may be employed for structural
supports or nozzles.

What are the limitations?

The analysis is based on empirical data. Certain geometries falling outside this data have no
experimental basis to support them and it is up to the designer to determine if the method is a
valid approximation outside the range covered by the empirical data. In addition, the method
does not cover stress from internal pressure; however, DesignCalcs does allow for internal
pressure loading.

The second major limitation is the stress combination. This method combines the membrane
and bending stresses. Membrane only stress will have a set of allowable stress criteria if you
look to Section VIII, Division II, and the combined membrane and bending stress will have its
own allowable stress criteria. In addition, if you need to consider peak stress, the failure modes
you need to check per Division II get more complicated.

Finally, the WRC-107 reference does not clearly indicate the attachment details for the
attachment to the host. When utilizing this method, be careful when considering tilted or
hillside nozzles or attachments where full penetration groove welds are not used.

How does the WRC-107 coordinate system work?

See the figures below for reference. For both heads and cylinders as hosts, the radial load P is
positive if it is inward. Choose arbitrary 1-1 and 2-2 axes that are normal to each other for
heads. A shear load V2 acts in the 1-1 direction and causes the M1 moment. A shear load V1
acts in the 2-2 direction and causes the M2 moment.

For cylindrical hosts, the axes are the longitudinal direction and the circumferential direction. A
positive shear load VC acts in the positive circumferential direction and creates the positive
moment MC. The positive shear load VL acts in the positive longitudinal direction and creates
the positive moment ML.
How does the Solve For radio button work?

When stresses are selected, the analysis will calculate the combined local stress intensity from
all of the loads entered. When one of the other options is selected, the analysis will set the
combined stress to its maximum and solve for the item selected with the other items set.

What should I enter for the stress multipliers?

These multipliers are used to determine the allowable combined stress. Cs represents the stress
multiplier and Cy represents the yield multiplier. You may choose which combination of stress,
yield, and multiplier to use and whether to consider the attachment properties. When the
attachment properties are considered, the minimum of the selected yield, the stress of the host,
or the stress of the attachment is used to determine the allowable stress.

The ideal values for the stress multipliers depend on several factors, including the duration and
geography of the load. If the load is to be applied one time and then released (such as for lifting
lugs), a higher allowable may be justified. A typical operating nozzle load would be limited to a
lower allowable. See the stress classifications in Section VIII-II for further guidance. Pay special
attention to the primary local and secondary stresses and the slight differences between them.

An example of a typical allowable stress for primary local membrane stress would be 1.5*S. An
example of a typical allowable stress for primary local membrane plus secondary bending stress
would be Sps where Sps may be either 3*S or 2*Sy. Be careful when specifying 3*S if the
allowable stress criteria is based on 90% yield instead of 66-2/3% yield.
When do I use the Stress Concentration Factor?

This is only used for cyclic type loadings or for brittle materials. See appendix B in WRC-107
and proceed with caution.

How does the analysis handle reinforcing pads for nozzles?

The analysis will calculate the stresses at the periphery of the nozzle to host/pad combined
thickness and it will calculate the stresses at the periphery of the pad diameter to host junction.
This is probably a conservative leaning check unless the repad thickness is very close to external
projection of the nozzle or the width of the pad is very narrow; in either of those cases, the
check is more accurate.

For a large diameter pad (e.g. a pad with 2x the diameter of the nozzle neck), it may be suitable
to increase the host thickness to represent the combined thickness of the pad and the host -
assuming the allowable stress of both are the same and the nozzle has a quality attachment
detail to both the pad and the host wall.

Can I bump up the host thickness to represent the combined host and pad thickness for a
structural attachment?

Yes, you can. However, this approximation is the most viable when the attachment is attached
through the pad to the host wall and the details include full penetration groove welds. In
addition, the pad should be fairly large compared to the attachment size (e.g. 8” x 8” pad for a
4”x 4” attachment) and the pad should have an allowable stress similar to the host.

How can I import a nozzle or a host that I have already designed?

On the Vessel/Attachment tab, select the Nozzle Browser to import the information for the
nozzle and its host. To add a structural attachment, select the host browser and bring the host
information into the WRC-107 form. Then you can manually enter the attachment information.

Why do I need to enter the diameter when the host is an elliptical head?

The analysis treats the head as a sphere and uses the diameter entered to determine the
spherical radius.

Are the wind loads, elevations, and diameters from the Vessel Information and
Attachments/Loadings windows used in the WRC-107 Analysis?

In order for wind loads to be considered in the WRC-107 Analysis, they must be directly entered
on the Loads tab of the WRC-107 window. The analysis does not draw this data from any other
location.