Design and Experimental/Numerical Analysis of Metal-Composite Vessel with Spherical Cap under Internal Pressure

Abstract

Composite vessels are widely used in industry due to their high strength and low weight. In this research, a composite vessel with a metal liner was designed, manufactured, and subjected to internal pressure. The liner of the tank is made of 304 steel, which is screwed on its main part with two patterns of polar and peripheral twisting. In this research, S-glass fibers and epoxy resin 5052 were used. The vessel was subjected to a pressure of 40 bars. Electric strain gauges were used to measure the strain, and stresses were calculated using Hooke's law. In addition to the experimental method, the vessel was also analyzed numerically. ABAQUS (finite element) software was used to examine the experimental data, and the simulation results showed good consistency with the experimental data. The results of the numerical analysis determined the location of the strain gauges. The results of the two methods were compared and discussed. It was found that at low pressures (pressures lesser than 40 bar), composites do not have a significant role in tolerating vessel stress. It has been observed that changes in the geometry of the structure (the joint of the spherical part and the cylinder) resulted in turbulences in the strain and stress curves near the change site.

Keywords

• composite vessel
• internal pressure
• spherical cap
• numerical analysis
• experimental analysis