Influence of winding angles on hoop stress in composite pressure vessels: Finite element analysis

Abstract

Various pressure vessels from Type I to Type IV are used to store hydrogen and CNG at high pressures. The polymeric liner in Type IV composite pressure vessels (CPVs) does not share the load, unlike those with metallic liners (Type III); hence, the composite layers share the entire load. The winding angles play a crucial role in tailoring the pressure-bearing properties of CPVs. This study investigated the effect of fiber winding angles on the hoop stress in Type IV CPVs using finite element (FE) analysis, and the advantage of multi-angle winding was realized. Stress analysis is vital to ensure that the vessel can withstand the intended operating conditions without undergoing failure. A series of finite element analyses (FEA) was carried out using the Abaqus FE simulation software to study the behaviour of an anisotropic fiber-reinforced CPV with varied winding schemes. A stress analysis was performed, and various winding schemes were compared for different cases. The hoop stress in various configurations was documented to assess and compare various winding configurations.