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As of 12/27/2017, we plan on using 180lbs of shear pins, making for a desired yield force of 720lbs. This analysis makes use of thin-walled pressure vessel theory , summarized below"[2], paraphrased below:
Neglecting end effects, the limiting factor will be the hoop stress in the piston bore:
Mathinline body \sigma_{hoop} = \frac{pR}{t}
Given Aluminum 6061 as the material
Resources:
The following resources are useful materials for learning about pressure vessel and piston theory:
[1] Jeff Hanson, Texas Tech: Intro to Thin Walled Pressure Vessels
[2] University of Colorado, Boulder: Thin-Walled Pressure Vessel Theory