49 C.F.R. § 179.220-6
Thickness of plates.
Cite as 49 C.F.R. § 179.220-6 (2026)
(a) The wall thickness, after forming of the inner container shell and 2:1 ellipsoidal heads must be not less than specified in § 179.221-1, or not less than that calculated by the following formula:
Where:
d
= Inside diameter in inches;
E
= 0.9 welded joint efficiency; except
E
= 1.0 for seamless heads;
P
= Minimum required bursting pressure in psig;
S
= Minimum tensile strength of plate material in p.s.i. as prescribed in AAR Specifications for Tank Cars, appendix M, Table M1;
t
= Minimum thickness of plate in inches after forming.
(b) The wall thickness after forming of the inner container heads, if flanged and dished, must be not less than specified in § 179.221-1, or not less than that calculated by the following formula:
Where:
E
= 0.9 welded joint efficiency; except
E
= 1.0 for seamless heads;
L
= Main inside radius to which head is dished, measured on concave side in inches;
P
= Minimum required bursting pressure in psig;
S
= Minimum tensile strength of plate material in psi as prescribed in AAR Specifications for Tank Cars, appendix M, Table M1 (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter);
t
= Minimum thickness of plate in inches after forming.
(c) The wall thickness after forming of the cylindrical section and heads of the outer shell must be not less than seven-sixteenths of an inch.
(d) See § 179.220-9 for plate thickness requirements for inner container when divided into compartments.
[Amdt. 179-9, 36 FR 21340, Nov. 6, 1971, as amended at 66 FR 45390, Aug. 28, 2001; 68 FR 75762, Dec. 31, 2003]
- Cross-references to the CFR
- 171.7179.220-9179.221-1