Assessment of State of Residual Stress of Hybrid Pressure Vessels Available to Purchase

For fully carbon fibre wrapped pressure vessels with load sharing metallic liner (Type III), it was recognized that the state of residual stress given after the autofrettage process can change even if the vessel is stored without pressure. This change is influenced by temperature and time and has a direct effect on the residual lifetime of the vessel. To study the influence of the temperature on the state of residual stress an analytical model was applied which is based on the Classical Laminate Theory (CLT). According to the model, the critical conditions leading to a decrease in lifetime were identified. To confirm the results of the model temperature cycle tests were carried out. The results of the tests are compared with the analytical model and a finite element model. To investigate the influence of time on the state of residual stress, tests on vessels were performed. The tested vessels were aged without any pressure for a longer period of time after the autofrettage process. During these tests, the strain of the vessels was monitored.