Burst Pressure of Pipe or Tubing Barlow's Formula

Fluid Flow Table of Contents
Hydraulic and Pneumatic Knowledge

Burst Pressure of Pipe or Tubing Equation

The following equation is Barlow's formula and can be used to estimate burst pressure of pipes.

    P = (2t x S) / D

Where:

P = is burst pressure in PSI
t = is wall thickness, in inches
S = is allowable or tensile strength of material in PSI
D = is outside diameter, inches

It is recommended that the estimated bursting pressure be smaller by some factor of safety.

The design of a complex pressure containment system involves much more than the application of Barlow's formula. For almost all pressure vessels , the ASME code stipulates the requirements for design and testing.

Related Resources:

• Pipe Size Schedule Chart
• Pipe Burst Working Pressure Calculator Barlow's Formula
• Yield Strength - Strength ( Mechanics ) of Materials
• Copper Tubing Size Chart ASTM B88
• Copper Tubing HVAC Size Chart
• Copper Tube Size Chart Medical Gas, K and L
• API Tubing Engineering Table Chart