Design Optimization of Compound Cylinders Subjected to Autofrettage and Shrink-Fitting Processes

The autofrettage and shrink-fit processes are used to increase the load bearing capacity and fatigue life of the pressure vessels under thermomechanical loads. In this paper, a design optimization methodology has been proposed to identify optimal configurations of a two-layer cylinder subjected to different combinations of shrink-fit and autofrettage processes. The objective is to find the optimal thickness of each layer, autofrettage pressure and radial interference for each shrink-fit, and autofrettage combination in order to increase the fatigue life of the compound cylinder by maximizing the beneficial and minimizing the detrimental residual stresses induced by these processes. A finite element model has been developed in ansys environment to accurately evaluate the tangential stress profile through the thickness of the cylinder. The finite element model is then utilized in combination with design of experiment (DOE) and the response surface method (RSM) to develop a smooth response function which can be effectively used in the design optimization formulation. Finally, genetic algorithm (GA) combined with sequential quadratic programming (SQP) has been used to find global optimum configuration for each combination of autofrettage and shrink-fit processes. The residual stress distributions and the mechanical fatigue life based on the ASME code for high pressure vessels have been calculated for the optimal configurations and then compared. It is found that the combination of shrink-fitting of two base layers then performing double autofrettage (exterior autofrettage prior to interior autofrettage) on the whole assembly can provide higher fatigue life time for both inner and outer layers of the cylinder.