Stress and Fracture Analysis of Ceramic Lined, Composite or Steel Jacketed Pressure Vessels

Stress and fracture analysis of ceramic-lined cannon pressure vessels is described, for a Si₃N₄ or SiC liner and A723 steel or carbon-epoxy jacket and with an initial residual interface pressure between liner and jacket. Room temperature stresses for a steel jacket over ceramic are similar to those for a carbon-epoxy jacket, but both radial and hoop jacket stresses can exceed typical carbon-epoxy strength values. Elevated temperature liner stresses are reduced for a carbon-epoxy jacket, due to the effective increase in interface pressure caused by differential thermal expansion. Critical crack size for brittle fracture is larger for Si₃N₄ than SiC due to lower liner stresses and higher fracture toughness with a Si₃N₄ liner.