The Design and Manufacture of Bursting Disks

Bursting disks are frequently used to prevent the pressure in parts of chemical plant from reaching a dangerous value. In the manufacture and supply of such disks the working conditions must be carefully studied and special attention devoted to metallurgical detail to ensure high reliability in the disks. The types of disks which have been tested and used during the authors' experience, and the factors involved in their design for particular conditions, are discussed. From experimental results the maximum value of the ratio of working pressure to bursting pressure may be chosen in order to limit the creep in service to a reasonable amount. If a bursting disk is designed to operate at a temperature above room temperature, the degree of protection afforded at temperatures below the normal operating temperature may be less, owing to the variation in strength of the disk with temperature. Examples are given of the uses to which bursting disks have been applied.