Composite Pressure Vessel Dome Reinforcement With Bulging Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing pressure vessel designs, particularly in the technique described in Patent Literature 2, suffer from a gradual decrease in strength reinforcement towards the distal ends of the dome sections due to the formation of hoop dome sections with decreasing thickness.
Innovation Solution
The pressure vessel incorporates bulging sections formed by high-angle helical winding in the shoulder sections of the dome sections, which bulge radially and are continuously formed with the high-angle helical winding layer covering the cylindrical section, along with an intermediate section formed by hoop winding or near-hoop winding between the vertices of the bulging sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If hoop dome sections are formed with decreasing thickness toward distal ends of dome sections, then the reinforcement structure can be simplified and manufacturing can be easier, but the strength of the reinforcement in the shoulder sections gradually decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming bulging sections with increased thickness specifically in the shoulder sections of the dome, while maintaining standard thickness in other areas. This localized thickening provides enhanced reinforcement exactly where the stress concentration occurs during filling and discharge operations, without requiring uniform thickness increase throughout the entire dome section, thus balancing manufacturing feasibility with localized strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The bulging sections are formed in advance during the liner manufacturing process by controlling the molding pressure distribution. The increased thickness in the shoulder sections is built into the liner structure before the pressure vessel assembly is completed, ensuring that the reinforcement is already in place to handle the high-stress conditions that will occur during subsequent filling and discharge operations.
2Strength
If the liner shape is modified to include thickened sections for reinforcement, then the strength in dome sections can be maintained, but the liner shape becomes more complex and may cause stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curvature by forming smooth, rounded bulging sections in the shoulder areas rather than sharp corners or abrupt transitions. These curved thickened sections naturally distribute stress more evenly throughout the structure, avoiding stress concentration points that would occur with sharp geometric changes. The spherical-like curvature of the bulging sections aligns with the natural stress distribution patterns in pressure vessels under internal pressure.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure vessel comprises: a liner having a cylindrical section and a pair of dome sections; and a reinforcement layer constituted by a fiber-reinforced resin material and formed on the outside of the liner. The pressure vessel is characterized in that the reinforcement layer comprises: protruding sections formed so as to protrude at the dome sections by high-angle helical winding; and a central section formed by hoop winding which spans the area between each peak of the pair of protruding sections, or by approximate hoop winding in which winding is carried out at a higher angle than the high-angle helical winding.