(a) For the thin-walled spherical tank discussed in Design Example 8.1, on the basis of critical crack size criterion [as addressed in part (a)], rank the following polymers from longest to shortest critical crack length: nylon 6,6 (50% relative humidity), polycarbonate, poly(ethylene terephthalate), and poly(methyl methacrylate). Comment on the magnitude range of the computed values used in the ranking relative to those tabulated for metal alloys as provided in Table 8.3. For these computations, use data contained in Tables B.4 and B.5 in Appendix B.
(b) Now rank these same four polymers relative to maximum allowable pressure according to the leak-before-break criterion, as described in the (b) portion of Design Example 8.1. As above, comment on these values in relation to those for the metal alloys that are tabulated in Table 8.4.