Burst pressure reduction of various thermoset composite pressure vessels after impact on the cylindrical part

The study addresses the residual burst pressure of composite cylinders after mechanical impacts on their cylindrical part. More than 200 impact tests results on actual cylinders are gathered and a comprehensive analysis is performed; covering a wide range of cylinders characteristics (volume, pressure, liner material, geometry, manufacturer…) and testing conditions (facilities, inner pressure, impact energy…). Despite such wide range of different conditions, a common behaviour of the four models of cylinders tested is evidenced. After normalisation using composite cylinders' characteristics, a common energy threshold is found for burst pressure reduction. It is believed such result can provide useful guidelines for the calibration of non destructive examination of composite cylinders and help ensuring a safe use with optimised criteria for rejections.