Experimental and numerical study of hypervelocity impact damage on composite overwrapped pressure vessels

Ground-based tests are important for studying hypervelocity impact(HVI)damage to spacecraft pressure vessels in the orbital debris environment.We analyzed the damage to composite overwrapped pressure vessels(COPVs)in the HVI tests and classified the damage into non-catastrophic damage and catastrophic damage.We proposed a numerical simulation method to further study non-catastrophic damage and revealed the characteristics and mechanisms of non-catastrophic damage affected by impact conditions and internal pressures.The fragments of the catastrophically damaged COPVs were collected after the tests.The crack distribution and propagation process of the catastrophic ruptures of the COPVs were analyzed.Our findings contribute to understanding the damage characteristics and mechanisms of COPVs by HVIs.

Exploration on the Optimization Strategy for the Layup of Composite Material Pressure Vessels Based on Advanced Algorithms

This study aims to explore the influence of the laying angle on the pressure shell structure made of composite materials under the condition of a fixed shape. By using a composite material composed of a mixture of T800 carbon fiber and AG80 epoxy resin to design pressure vessels, this material combination can significantly improve the interlaminar shear strength and heat resistance. The article elaborates on the basic concepts and failure criteria of composite materials, such as the maximum stress criterion, the maximum strain criterion, the Tsai-Hill criterion, etc. With the help of the APDL parametric modeling language, the arc-shaped, parabolic, elliptical, and fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel models are accurately constructed, and the material property settings and mesh division are completed. Subsequently, APDL is used for static analysis, and the genetic algorithm toolbox built into Matlab is combined to carry out optimization calculations to determine the optimal laying angle. The research results show that the equivalent stress corresponding to the optimal laying angle of the arc-shaped pressure vessel is 5.3685e+08 Pa, the elliptical one is 5.1969e+08 Pa, the parabolic one is 5.8692e+08 Pa, and the fitting curve-shaped one is 5.36862e+08 Pa. Among them, the stress distribution of the fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel is relatively more uniform, with a deformation of 0.568E−03 m, a minimum equivalent stress value of 0.261E+09 Pa, a maximum equivalent stress value of 0.537E+09 Pa, and a ratio of 0.48, which conforms to the equivalent stress criterion. In addition, the fitting curve of this model can adapt to various models and has higher practical value. However, the stress distribution of the elliptical and parabolic pressure vessels is uneven, and their applicability is poor. In the future, further exploration can be conducted on the application of the fitting curve model in composite materials to optimize the design of pressure vessels. This study provides important theoretical support and practical guidance for the design of composite material pressure vessels.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE LIMIT LOADS FOR PRESSURE VESSELS WITH PART-THROUGH SLOTS

A numerical investigation of the limit loads is carried out for pressure vessels with part-through slots using a general computational method for the limit analysis of 3-D structures. The limit pressures are given for a comprehensive range of geometric parameters. Some of the calculated results are compared with the results of 3-D elastic-plastic finite element analysis and existing numerical solutions. The effects of various shapes and sizes of part-through slots on the load carrying capacity of cylindrical shells are investigated and evaluated. Two kinds of typical failure modes corresponding to different dimensions of slots are studied. Based on the numerical results, a geometric parameter G which combines the slot dimensions and the cylinder geometry is presented. It reasonably reflects the overall effect of slots on the limit loads of cylinders. An empirical formula for estimating the limit pressures of cylindrical shells with part-through slots is obtained.

Load Bearing Capacity and Safety Analysis for Strain-hardening Austenitic Stainless Steel Pressure Vessels

By increasing the yield strengths of austenitic stainless steels for pressure vessels with strain hardening techniques,the elastic load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels can be significantly improved.Two kinds of strain hardening methods are often used for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels：Avesta model for ambient temperature applications and Ardeform model for cryogenic temperature applications.Both methods are obtained from conventional design rules based on the linear elastic theory,and only consider the hardening effect from materials.Consequently this limits the applications of strain hardening techniques for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels because of safety concerns.This paper investigates the effect of strain hardening on the load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels under large deformation,based on the elastic-plastic theory.Firstly,to understand the effect of strain hardening on material behavior,the plastic instability loads of a round tensile bar specimen are derived under two different loading paths and validated by experiments.Secondly,to investigate the effect of strain hardening on pressure vessels strength, the plastic instability pressure under strain hardening is derived and further validated by finite element simulations.Further,the safety margin of pressure vessels after strain hardening is analyzed by comparing the safety factor values calculated from bursting tests,finite element analyses,and standards.The researching results show that the load bearing capacity of pressure vessels at ambient temperature is independent of the loading history when the effects of both material strain hardening and structural deformation are considered.Finite element simulations and bursting tests results show that the minimum safety factor of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels with 5% strain hardening is close to the recommended value for common pressure vessels specified in the European pressure vessel standard.The proposed study also shows that in the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels,the calculation for plastic instability pressure could use theoretical formula or finite element analyses based on geometrical dimensions and material property parameters before strain hardening,but a 5%strain should be employed as a design limit.The proposed research can be used for the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels safely.

Recent development in standards of steels used for pressure vessels in China

In this paper,five items of standards of steels used for pressure vessels which are issued recently or about to be issued and put into effect have been introduced.The differences of standards mentioned above and the former standards and the primary qualifications have been formulated.These qualifications indicate that,some qualifications of national standards of steels used for pressure vessels are on the international advanced level.

Microstructure and properties of S30403+Q345R roll-bonded clad steel plate for pressure vessels

To meet the demand of the domestic pressure vessel industry for roll-bonded clad steel plates, Baosteel has developed an S30403 ＋ Q345R roll-bonded clad steel plate. Comprehensive inspections of the composition, microstructure, and properties are made to systematically evaluate the steel plate in the normalized and normalized ＋ stress relieved states. The results show the cladding interface of the S30403 ＋ Q345R roll-bonded clad steel plate has high shear strength, the base metal has good properties, and the mechanical properties of the steel plate head and tail are uniform. The performance is fully consistent with the technical requirements of the roll-bonded clad steel plate for pressure vessels.

Development of S11306+SA516Gr70 roll-bonded clad steel plate for pressure vessels

To meet the demand of the pressure vessel industry, Baosteel has developed an S11306 ＋ SA516Gr70 roll-bonded clad steel plate. Comprehensive inspections of the composition, microstructure, and properties are performed to systematically evaluate the steel plate in normalized state and normalized ＋ stress relieved state. The results show the cladding interface of the Sl1306 ＋ SA516Gr70 roll-bonded clad steel plate has high shear strength, and the base metal has good mechanical properties. The performance is fully consistent with the technical requirements of the roll-bonded clad steel plate for pressure vessels.

RADIAL VIBRATIONS OF AXISYMMETRICALLY LOADED STEPPED PRESSURE VESSELS

Differential equations of free/forced radial vibrations of axisymmetrically loaded stepped pressure vessels are established by using singular functions. Furthermore, their general solutions are solved, the expression of vibration mode function and frequency equations on usual supports are derived with W operator and the forced response of such vessels are calculated.

Expert system for evaluating the safety of pressure vessels

With more application of welding technology in important structures more attention was paid to the evaluation of the safety of welded structures, the life prediction and decision to repair the welded structures. Based on material fracture mechanism and Chinese standard of safety evaluations of pressure vessels, an expert system was developed to evaluate the safety of welded pressure vessels. The system can analyze the weld defects in a pressure vessel, convert different kinds of defects into equivalent cracks and obtain their equivalent sizes. Furthermore, the system can calculate the stress and strain in the positions of weld defects and make decision on whether the defects are tolerable or not according to the code. When it is tolerable, the system will calculate the safety margin. The fatigue life can be predicted if the defects undergo fatigue load too. Moreover, data bases are built for storing mechanical properties of material and evaluated results.

Free Vibration Analysis of FG-CNTRC Cylindrical Pressure Vessels Resting on Pasternak Foundation with Various Boundary Conditions

This study focuses on vibration analysis of cylindrical pressure vessels constructed by functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composites(FG-CNTRC).The vessel is under internal pressure and surrounded by a Pasternak foundation.This investigation was founded based on two-dimensional elastic analysis and used Hamilton’s principle to drive the governing equations.The deformations and effective-mechanical properties of the reinforced structure were elicited from the first-order shear theory(FSDT)and rule of mixture,respectively.The main goal of this study is to show the effects of various design parameters such as boundary conditions,reinforcement distribution,foundation parameters,and aspect ratio on the free vibration characteristics of the structure.

Investigation of low-cycle fatigue behavior of austenitic stainless steel for cold-stretched pressure vessels

Cold-stretched pressure vessels from austenitic stainless steels （ASS） are widely used for storage and transportation of liquefied gases, and have such advantages as thin wall and light weight. Fatigue is an important concern in these pressure vessels, which are subjected to alternative loads. Even though several codes and standards have guidelines on these pressure vessels, there are no relevant design methods on fatigue failure. To understand the fatigue properties of ASS 1.4301 （equivalents include UNS $30400 and AISI 304） in solution-annealed （SA） and cold-stretched conditions （9% strain level） and the response of fatigue properties to cold stretching （CS）, low-cycle fatigue （LCF） tests were performed at room temperature, with total strain amplitudes ranging from ：~0.4% to ＂0.8%. Martensite transformations were measured during the tests. Comparisons on cyclic stress response, cyclic stress-strain behavior, and fatigue life were carried out between SA and CS materials. Results show that CS reduces the initial hardening stage, but prolongs the softening period in the cyclic stress response. Martensite transformation helps form a stable regime and subsequent secondary hardening. The stresses of monotonic and cyclic stress-strain curves are improved by CS, which leads to a lower plastic strain and a much higher elastic strain. The fatigue resistance of the CS material is better than that of the SA material, which is approximately 1 - 103 to 2 - 104 cycles. The S-N curve of the ASME standard for ASS is compared with the fatigue data and is justified to be suitable for the fatigue design of cold-stretched pressure vessels. However, considering the CS material has a better fatigue resistance, the S-N curve will be more conservative. The present study would be helpful in making full use of the advantages of CS to develop a new S-N curve for fatigue design of cold-stretched pressure vessels.

Influence of residual stresses on failure pressure of cylindrical pressure vessels

The utilization of pressure vessels in aerospace applications is manifold.In this work,fnite element analysis（FEA）has been carried out using ANSYS software package with 2D axisymmetric model to access the failure pressure of cylindrical pressure vessel made of ASTM A36 carbon steel having weld-induced residual stresses.To fnd out the effect of residual stresses on failure pressure,frst an elasto-plastic analysis is performed to fnd out the failure pressure of pressure vessel not having residual stresses.Then a thermo-mechanical fnite element analysis is performed to assess the residual stresses developed in the pressure vessel during welding.Finally one more elasto-plastic analysis is performed to assess the effect of residual stresses on failure pressure of the pressure vessel having residual stresses.This analysis indicates reduction in the failure pressure due to unfavorable residual stresses.

APPLICATION OF SURROGATE BASED PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION TO THE RELIABILITY-BASED ROBUST DESIGN OF COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSELS

A surrogate based particle swarm optimization （SBPSO） algorithm which combines the surrogate modeling technique and particle swarm optimization is applied to the reliability- based robust design （RBRD） of composite pressure vessels. The algorithm and efficiency of SBPSO are displayed through numerical examples. A model for filament-wound composite pressure vessels with metallic liner is then studied by netting analysis and its responses are analyzed by using Finite element method （performed by software ANSYS）. An optimization problem for maximizing the performance factor is formulated by choosing the winding orientation of the helical plies in the cylindrical portion, the thickness of metal liner and the drop off region size as the design variables. Strength constraints for composite layers and the metal liner are constructed by using Tsai-Wu failure criterion and Mises failure criterion respectively. Numerical examples show that the method proposed can effectively solve the RBRD problem, and the optimal results of the proposed model can satisfy certain reliability requirement and have the robustness to the fluctuation of design variables.

Shakedown and Limit Analysis of Defective Pressure Vessels

This paper presents a failure analysis of pressure vessels with defects by a direct method of limit and shakedown analysis. The defects considered are part through slots with various geometric configurations. The engineering situation considered here has practical importance in the pressure vessel industry. The results are compared with those obtained by a step by step procedure using the professional code ABAQUS and where possible, with those provided by semiempirical formulae used by industry. The limit and shakedown analysis methods are found to be more economical and more reliable than marching solutions achieved by step by step elastic plastic analysis. The effects of various part through slots on the load carrying capacities of pressure vessels are investigated.

Theoretical study of failure in composite pressure vessels subjected to low-velocity impact and internal pressure

A theoretical solution is aimed to be developed in this research for predicting the failure in internally pressurized composite pressure vessels exposed to low-velocity impact.Both in-plane and out-of-plane failure modes are taken into account simultaneously and thus all components of the stress and strain fields are derived.For this purpose,layer-wise theory is employed in a composite cylinder under internal pressure and low-velocity impact.Obtained stress/strain components are fed into appropriate failure criteria for investigating the occurrence of failure.In case of experiencing any in-plane failure mode,the evolution of damage is modeled using progressive damage modeling in the context of continuum damage mechanics.Namely,mechanical properties of failed ply are degraded and stress analysis is performed on the updated status of the model.In the event of delamination occurrence,the solution is terminated.The obtained results are validated with available experimental observations in open literature.It is observed that the sequence of in-plane failure and delamination varies by increasing the impact energy.

Mechanical and fatigue properties of SA508-Ⅳ steel used for nuclear reactor pressure vessels

The mechanical and fatigue properties of SA508-Ⅳ steel with martensite and granular bainite, respectively, were studied. The mechanical tests results showed that the ultimate tensile strength and impact toughness of the specimen with martensite were 830 MPa and 158 J, respectively, and those of the specimen with granular bainite were 811 MPa and 115 J, respectively. The former had higher tensile strength and impact toughness than the latter. The impact tests results showed that the former belonged to typical dimple fracture, while the latter belonged to brittle fracture. The fatigue tests results showed that the fatigue life of the specimen with martensite was 2717 cycles, and that of the specimen with granular bainite was 1545 cycles under the strain amplitude of ± 0.45%. The specimen with martensite had fewer crack initiation points, narrower fatigue striations separation, and larger volume fraction of high-angle grain boundaries than the latter. The fewer crack initiation points meant fewer fatigue cracks, the narrower fatigue striations separation meant slower crack propagation rate, and the larger volume fraction of high-angle grain boundaries could more effectively hinder fatigue crack propagation. Based on these facts, the fatigue life of the specimen with martensite was higher than that of the specimen with granular bainite.

Characterizing Acoustic Sources in Pressure Vessels

The 'dream' of acoustic emission (AE) testing is to get the acoustic source characteristics from AE signals, especially when evaluating aging pressure vessels. In this paper, the wavelet transform was used to analyze different AE signals from cracks (surface and inner), pencil-lead-breakage and leakage. These acoustic sources were applied on an actual pressure vessel. While the vessel experienced hydraulic pressure, their AE signals were acquired by a digital AE testing system with a wide frequency band transducer and a high speed A/D converter. Then, the digital signals were analyzed using the wavelet transform method. Correlation coefficients of the transformed data show that the different acoustic sources can be easily identified.

Development of a new irradiation-embrittlement prediction model for reactor pressure-vessel steels

Predicting the transition-temperature shift(TTS)induced by neutron irradiation in reactor pressure-vessel(RPV)steels is important for the evaluation and extension of nuclear power-plant lifetimes.Current prediction models may fail to properly describe the embrittlement trend curves of Chinese domestic RPV steels with relatively low Cu content.Based on the screened surveillance data of Chinese domestic and similar international RPV steels,we have developed a new fluencedependent model for predicting the irradiation-embrittlement trend.The fast neutron fluence(E>1 MeV)exhibited the highest correlation coefficient with the measured TTS data;thus,it is a crucial parameter in the prediction model.The chemical composition has little relevance to the TTS residual calculated by the fluence-dependent model.The results show that the newly developed model with a simple power-law functional form of the neutron fluence is suitable for predicting the irradiation-embrittlement trend of Chinese domestic RPVs,regardless of the effect of the chemical composition.

Calculations of plastic collapse load of pressure vessel using FEA

This paper proposes a theoretical method using finite element analysis(FEA) to calculate the plastic collapse loads of pressure vessels under internal pressure,and compares the analytical methods according to three criteria stated in the ASME Boiler Pressure Vessel Code. First,a finite element technique using the arc-length algorithm and the restart analysis is developed to conduct the plastic collapse analysis of vessels,which includes the material and geometry non-linear properties of vessels. Second,as the mechanical properties of vessels are assumed to be elastic-perfectly plastic,the limit load analysis is performed by em-ploying the Newton-Raphson algorithm,while the limit pressure of vessels is obtained by the twice-elastic-slope method and the tangent intersection method respectively to avoid excessive deformation. Finally,the elastic stress analysis under working pressure is conducted and the stress strength of vessels is checked by sorting the stress results. The results are compared with those obtained by experiments and other existing models. This work provides a reference for the selection of the failure criteria and the calculation of the plastic collapse load.

Optimal design of pressure vessel using an improved genetic algorithm

As the idea of simulated annealing (SA) is introduced into the fitness function, an improved genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to perform the optimal design of a pressure vessel which aims to attain the minimum weight under burst pressure con- straint. The actual burst pressure is calculated using the arc-length and restart analysis in finite element analysis (FEA). A penalty function in the fitness function is proposed to deal with the constrained problem. The effects of the population size and the number of generations in the GA on the weight and burst pressure of the vessel are explored. The optimization results using the proposed GA are also compared with those using the simple GA and the conventional Monte Carlo method.