How to Calculate the Glass Thickness for your Aquarium

[CHOMPERS]

Take a look at the new guys post again. I noticed that he must be in high school and had his chemistry book open on his lap. The post didn't make much sense but he went through a lot of trouble for his first and only post. It looks like he may be on his way to being a quality poster.

 

[zennzzo]

I was referring to an UGF as being new and leading edge of technology as far as digging up old threads...

When I see a post that requires a scientific calculator to figure glass thickness, I'll pass...
All that thinking has already been done and been engineered already...
When it comes to safety, it is very simple...round up to the next size, if you are in doubt.

 

[CHOMPERS]

yeah, I got the jist of the UGF's.

My comment of the new guys post wasn't related and was more off topic. At first I had just scanned it because of the mumbo jumbo, but then went back to give it a critical review. It is still mumbo jumbo but my point was that he is at least trying. I think he'll grow to become one of the more interesting posters.

By the way, did you notice everyone else is shying away from this thread? It's like there is almost an echo in here. Lots of math early in the thread will do that.

The original post was too deep in engineering terms (a lot of them were unnecessary too; some didn't even apply). The OP is an engineering student and I suspect the guy he copied it from is too. A lot of the terms are tossed around at the university and only used after graduation by materials engineers. I couldn't even follow it after they started to get into the jargon (it just wasn't concise). There was some good info in it though, just not useful.

 

[zennzzo]

exactly...

 

[Jgray152]

Can't you calculate pressure by H / 2.31 *(L*W)
H = Height of water level
2.31 = 1psi @ 2.31 feet of water
L = Length of aquarium
W= Width of aquarium

So an aquarium that is 8x2x2;
(2/2.31)*(96*24)
0.5psi*2304
115.2 pounds of pressure?

Kinda passes using the SG figure.

 

[Jgray152]

Wow, just went back a page, OLD THREAD

In other words, in Death Valley the atmospheric pressue is one thing and on Mt Hood it is another. So figure out the formula you want to use for glass thickness and understand if that formula has a safety factor in it, then go up to the next size glass for your own safety factor.

Well I duno how accurate my formula is but you could just use a formula that calculates water pressure at sea level or just below and be done with it.

 

[CHOMPERS]

Can't you calculate pressure by H / 2.31 *(L*W)
H = Height of water level
2.31 = 1psi @ 2.31 feet of water
L = Length of aquarium
W= Width of aquarium

So an aquarium that is 8x2x2;
(2/2.31)*(96*24)
0.5psi*2304
115.2 pounds of pressure?

Kinda passes using the SG figure.

Yep, it's an ancient thread. That's what we were talking about in the last ten or so posts.
Anyway, to find the pressure without having any raw data from an actual tank, use the weight of water (8.3 pounds per gallon) and 7.5 gallons per cubic foot to find the weight of one cubic inch. Then find the weight of a stack of those cubes to reach the top of the tank. The answer to that will be the PSI on the bottom of the tank. The answer will be in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 of a psi.