I have a doubt

[rafael_josem]

Main Question or Discussion Point

I have a doubt....

Hi, I want to know, why do we use tanks with cylinder forms for fuel transportation and not with another geometric form, like a 3D rectangle (i dont know the english word for it.... ) ?

thanks...

 

[rbj]

well, in some cases, tanks are spherical in shape.

i think that one issue is, given a fixed volume to contain, selecting a shape that minimizes surface area. the sphere would be the absolute best but a cylynder is better than a rectanguloid or whatever the english word is.

another reason is that corners and (welded) joints are bad for tanks, particularly those under pressure.

 

[Antiphon]

The cylinder maximizes the volume for a given amount of metal while remaining
a practical form to take down a road. A large sphere towed from the back of a truck
would have trouble going down narrow roads.

Cylinders are also much stronger than boxes.