Design and optimization of composite thick walled cylinder for high pressure autofrettaged vessel

Abstract

The global composites market is one of the important motivations for this work, newlinewhich is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2% so as to reach US$ newline12.12 billion by 2020 from US$ 7.47 billion in 2013. Polymer composites play a newlineprominent role by replacing metals and alloys in most of the engineering newlineapplications. But polymeric composite structures are susceptible to thermal newlinedegradation, moisture ingress and chemical interactions that limit their usage in high newlinepressure and underwater applications. In this context, many research works focused newlineto develop composite cylindrical structures with various types of liners and matrix newlinematerial, termed as fiber metal laminate (FML) cylinders. The strength of a FML newlinecylinder can be further enhanced by inducing residual stresses in the inner diameter newlineof the cylinder, a process known as autofrettage . Many researchers have developed newlinevarious types of FML composites to satisfy specific requirements of components. newlineFML cylindrical structures have been successfully implemented in pressure vessels, newlinespace shuttle composite tanks, rocket motor cases, as fuselage crown in aircraft A380 newlineand such other applications. But studies on FML cylindrical structures made of newlinealuminum 6061 reinforced by E-glass fibers have not been adequately reported. Also, newlineautofrettage has not been performed on such FML cylinders. The objective of this newlineresearch work was to investigate experimentally and numerically the mechanical newlinebehaviour of glass-aluminum composite cylinders at various loading conditions.