Development of Filament Wound Composite Isotensoidal Pressure Vessels

Development of Filament Wound Composite Isotensoidal Pressure

Vessels
Lei Zua,b,*, Sotiris Koussiosb, Adriaan Beukersb, and Dinghua Zhanga
a
Key Laboratory of Contemporary Design and Integrated Manufacturing Technology (Northwestern Polytechnical
University), Ministry of Education, Xi’an 710072, China
b
Design and Production of Composite Structures, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology,
Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands

Summary
Filament wound isotensoidal structures are recently gaining more attention for designing composite pressure
vessels. In this paper we present the governing equation for creating geodesic-isotensoids based on the netting
theory and geodesic winding law. The feasible intervals of the isotensoid-based design are also determined. The
isotensoid-based dome profiles are determined by solving the governing equation with geometrical and initial
winding conditions. When the applied axial load reaches a certain magnitude, the isotensoidal toroids can be
obtained by forcing the isotensoid-based dome profile to become closed. The comparisons of the cross-sectional
shapes between the isotensoidal dome and the hemispherical dome, and between the isotensoidal toroid and the
circular toroid, are performed to demonstrate the preferable performance of the isotensoids. It is concluded that
the isotensoid-based design leads to uniform fiber tension throughout the whole shell and the resulting structure
can thus be considered as optimal for a pressure vessel. In addition, the isotensoid-based profiles show lower
aspect ratios than the conventional vessel profiles under the given volume and internal pressure. Therefore the
structural performance and the conformability to limited-height storage space of pressure vessels can be improved
using the isotensoid-based design.

Keywords: Composite pressure vessel, Isotensoid, Geodesic, Dome, Toroid

1. Introduction
Filament winding has become a very
popular manufacturing technique for
producing composite structures with
high strength/stiffness-to-weight ratios,
high fiber volume fraction, excellent
corrosion and electrical resistance1-3.
Since this fabrication technique allows
strong and lightweight parts, it has been
extensively used to create products
in the aerospace and commercial
industries, such as pressure vessels
and pipes, rocket motor cases, blades,
fly wheels, lattice grids, fuselages.
Both the reinforcement and the matrix
can be tailor-made to satisfy property
demands. This aids in widening the
applicability of filament winding to the
production of almost any commercial
©
Smithers Information Ltd., 2014
items wherein the strength to weight
ratio is important.
The design of filament wound pressure
vessels must take full account of the
stress field as well as the material
properties. Constraints imposed by
the manufacturing process need to
be respected, and the geometry that
may restrict the structural efficiency
must be properly determined as
well. However, conventional cross-
sectional shapes (e.g. sphere, circle,
ellipse) for composite pressure vessels
significantly limit the improvement
of vessel performance and weight
efficiency4-6. The geodesic trajectories
governed by these regular cross
sections are generally not placed in
the direction of maximum principal
stress and thus cannot lead to an
optimal stress distribution over the
composite shell, i.e. excessive stress
component in one principal direction
of curvature while insufficient stress
component in the other principal
direction of curvature. Previous
research has extensively considered
the design of fiber architectures and
winding parameters7-10, but overlooked
the design of adapted cross-sectional
shapes (i.e. isotensoids) whereby the
geodesics can be overwound according
to the maximum principal stress
direction in the pressure vessel shell.
A composite pressure vessel can
be designed in such a way that the
principal stresses are carried only
by the fibers of the laminate 11-13.
The solution may be regarded as
optimal since it guarantees uniform
stress distribution, minimum vessel
weight and maximum occupation of
the fiber strength. A new possibility

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 Lei Zu, Sotiris Koussios, Adriaan Beukers, and Dinghua Zhang

to improve the vessel performance the axial equilibrium of the shell can Nϕ
can be offered by the application be formulated by: ε=
E f t cos 2 α
of adapted cross-sectional shapes (6)
instead of the conventional shapes. 2
A + π r p = 2 π rNϕ / 1+ r ' 2

The isotensoid-based design is here (2) where Ef is the Young’s modulus of

used to determine the optimal cross- the fibers. Therefore, the fiber stress
The shell force Nφ can be obtained can be given by:
sections for geodesically overwound
from Eq. (2):
pressure vessels. The governing
equation for creating isotensoids is Nϕ
A pr σ=
formulated and its feasible intervals Nϕ = ( + ) 1+ r '2 t cos 2 α (7)
are also given. As the design examples, 2π r 2 (3)
the isotensoidal domes and toroids are After substituting Eq. (3) into (7),
respectively obtained using the specific The constitutive equations for the the fiber stress at any point can be
magnitude of the applied axial load, axially symmetric laminate under expressed as:
biaxial plane stress state can be given
and their cross sections are compared
by (φ-θ polar coordinate system):
to the conventionally used spherical A pr
( + ) 1+ r '2
and circular cross sections, in order
 N ϕ   A11 A12  εϕ  σ = 2π r 2 2
to demonstrate the advantage of the t cos α (8)
 = ⋅ 
isotensoid-based cross sections.  Nθ   A12 A22  εθ  (4) Considering the geometrical condition
where Aij (i, j = 1, 2) represent the at the equator (r = R, r ‘ = 0), the fiber
2. Governing Equations stress at the equator is given by:
for Geodesic- extensional stiffness elements of the
laminate. Based on the optimality
isotensoids A pR
conditions14-16, the strains at each point ( + )
The isotensoid-based design originates are the same in all directions in a lamina. σ 0 = 2π R 2 2
from the idea that an optimal pressure Thus the following equation holds true: t 0 cos α 0 (9)
vessel should be governed by the
conditions of equal shell strains and Nϕ The aim of the isotensoid-based
stresses14-16. The isotensoid, which ε= design is to determine the meridian
A11 + A12
provides the pressure vessel with (5) profile providing equal fiber tension
the minimum weight and maximum everywhere. To achieve this goal, the
where ε stands for the strain in an
carrying capacity, implies that all the fiber stress at any point should be equal
arbitrary direction in a lamina.
fibers undergo uniform tension along to that at the equator. Thus we have:
their length17.
The netting theory18-20 is here applied
A pr A pR
and the effect of the matrix is ( + ) 1+ r '2 ( + )
The domes can represent the generic thus considered negligible. After 2π r 2 = 2π R 2 2
2
class of shells of revolution. The t cos α t 0 cos α 0
eliminating the matrix-related terms
geometry and applied loads of a shell of in A11 and A22, Eq. (5) becomes: (10)
revolution is schematized in Figure 1.
R and r0 are the equatorial radius and
the polar opening radius, respectively; Figure 1. Loads and geometry of a generic shell of revolution
p is the uniformly distributed internal
pressure and A is the externally axial
line load applied on the pole of a
pressure vessel. S(θ, z) is the vector of
a generic shell of revolution in polar
coordinates, expressed as:

S(θ , z) = {r(z) cos θ , r(z)sin θ , z}

(1)

where θ denotes the angular coordinate

in parallel direction, r and z stand
for the radial and axial coordinates,
respectively. Under the given p and A,

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 Development of Filament Wound Composite Isotensoidal Pressure Vessels

The thickness distribution along the (1 − ρ 2 )[(1 − ρ 02 )ρ 4 + (1 − ρ 02 )(2a +1)ρ 2 − (a +1)2 ρ 02 ]

meridional direction is given by21,22:
t R cos α 0
= ⋅
t 0 r cos α (11)
ρ'=
ρ 2 (a + ρ 2 )2 (1 − ρ 02 ) (16)
Setting the both sides of Eq. (16) equal to zero, e.g. ρ’=0, gives two pairs of real
and one pair of imaginary roots:

We consider here the geodesic ρ1,2 = ±1,  ρ 3,4 =

condition in which the Clairaut’s
equation is satisfied23: 1 1 (2a +1)2 + (4a + 3)ρ 02
  ± −a − + , (Real roots)
2 2 1 − ρ 02 (17)
r sin α = r0 (12)
1 1 (2a +1)2 + (4a + 3)ρ 02
To obtain a system of generalized ρ 5,6 = ± −a − − ⋅ i, 
governing equations that adapt to 2 2 1 − ρ 02
arbitrary geometry and internal   (I maginary roots) (18)
pressure load, the major geometric and
load parameters are normalized using By selecting the minimum and maximum positive real roots by ρmin and ρmax, the
appropriate dimensionless scales: biggest and smallest radii of the geodesic-isotensoids are:

r z A 1 1 (2a +1)2 + (4a + 3)ρ 02

ρ= , ζ = , a = ρ min = −a − + , 
R R π pR 2 (13) 2 2 1 − ρ 02

Substitution of Eq. (11), (12) and (13)    ρ max = 1 (19)

into (10) leads, after expressing the
winding angle in terms of ρ and ρ0, to: Eq. (15) is therefore only valid for the interval [ρmin, 1]. The roots ρmin and ρmax
define the interval where integration of Eq. (15) is possible. Although the maximum
root ρmax = 1 provides exact value for the radius at the equator, the minimum root
ρ '2 ρ 2 (a + ρ 2 )2 (1 − ρ 02 ) =
ρmin does in general not coincide with the prescribed polar opening radius ρ0. It
  (a +1)2 (ρ 2 − ρ 02 ) − ρ 2 (a + ρ 2 )2 (1 − ρ 02 ) should be noted here that ρ0 only mathematically represents the polar opening
(14) radius and the actual opening radius ρmin is generally bigger than ρ0 because the
argument contained in the square root of Eq. (15) nullifies before ρ can reduce to
The differential equation for describing ρ0. In this case the winding angle at the poles becomes less than 90º and decreases
the meridian profile thus becomes: as the magnitude of the axial force a increases. In practice however, in order to
ensure a smooth transition of one wound circuit to the other, the winding angle
2 2
(a +1) (ρ − ρ 0 ) 2 should exactly reach 90º when passing the poles. This implies that ρmin should
ρ'= 2 2 2 2
−1 be equal to ρ0 in accordance with the Clairaut’s equation. Substitution of this
ρ (a + ρ ) (1 − ρ 0 )
(15) requirement with ρmin’ = 0 into Eq. (14), leads to:

The above governing equation

provides the shapes of isotensoid-
based meridian profiles for various {a,
ρ0} values. For a given dimensionless
polar opening radius ρ0, the resulting
meridian profile will strongly depend
on the a-value. The {a, ρ0}-parameter
set is able to completely determine
the cross-sectional shapes of the
isotensoids.
a = −ρ 02 (20)
This result can alternatively be obtained by setting Nφ (Eq. (2)) equal to 0. Hence,
one should keep the a-parameter as close as possible to –ρ02. However, since a
is dominated by the axial load condition, it can generally not satisfy Eq. (20).
Furthermore, we indicate here that the {a, ρ0}-combination is limited according
to the following statement, dictated by the numerator contained in the root
argument of Eq. (16):

3. Feasible Intervals (1 − ρ 02 )ρ 4 + (1 − ρ 02 )(2a +1)ρ 2 − (a +1)2 ρ 02 ≥ 0

of the Governing (21)
Equation
Since the left-hand side expression of Eq. (21) is less than 0 at ρ=0, its value has
The governing equation (15) can be to be more than 0 at ρ = 1, in order to make the above inequality valid before ρ
rewritten as: rises to 1. Thus we have:

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 Lei Zu, Sotiris Koussios, Adriaan Beukers, and Dinghua Zhang

Figure 2. Feasible {a, ρ0}-field (shaded area) (a 2 + 4a + 3)ρ 02 < 2(a +1) (22)

Another important limitation on a

is that the right-hand side of Eq. (2)
should be more than 0, otherwise the
fiber stress at the equator will become
compressive (physically impossible for
isotensoids). This limitation leads to:

a > −1 (23)

Then the following relation holds true:

(a 2 + 4a + 3) > 0 (24)

Eq. (22) can thus be rewritten as:

2(a +1)
ρ0 < 2
a + 4a + 3 (25)
Figure 3. The isotensoid-based and spherical dome profiles (ρmin = 0.4)
The result is depicted in Figure 2,
where the feasible {a, ρ0} field is
dashed.

4. Isotensoid-based
Design Examples

4.1 Isotensoidal Dome Head

Depending on the magnitude of
the axial forces as related to the
internal pressure, various isotensoidal
structures can be created to form a
class of isotensoid-related composite
pressure vessels. For a = 0 the solution
of Eq. (15) provides the cross-sectional
shapes of the geodesic-isotensoidal
dome heads for pressure vessels.
Figure 3 shows the isotensoid-based
dome profile and the conventionally-
used hemispherical profile with the
Figure 4. 3D illustrations of an isotensoidal and a spherical dome for pressure same dimensionless polar radii (ρmin =
vessels (ρmin = 0.4) 0.4). Figure 4 gives the corresponding
3D illustrations of the isotensoidal
and hemispherical domes for pressure
vessels. It is revealed that the aspect
ratio (height/width) of the isotensoid-
based cross section is significantly less
than that of the spherical one.

4.2 Isotensoidal Toroid

When the axial force is sufficiently
large for forcing the isotensoid-based
meridian profile to be closed, the

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 Development of Filament Wound Composite Isotensoidal Pressure Vessels

isotensoid becomes a toroid. Note Figure 5. The isotensoidal and circular cross sections at an equal volume (ρc = 0.4,
that the fiber tensions proceeding ρmin = 0.327)
from the polar opening towards the
equator replace here the external axial
force A, which is applied on the pole.
Figure 5 presents the isotensoid-based
cross-section of a toroid as compared
to the equal-volume circular cross
section with a radius of 0.4. The
isotensoid-based cross-section is
quasi-elliptic and has a lower profile
than the circular one. Figure 6 renders
the corresponding 3D models for the
respective isotensoidal and circular
toroids. The isotensoidal toroid belongs
to the class of doubly curved surfaces,
and offers an interesting alternative for
spaces having limited height.

5. Conclusions
The main goal of this paper is to
develop the geodesically overwound
isotensoids, and to compare the
Figure 6. 3D illustrations (half ring) of an isotensoidal and a circular toroid at an
isotensoid-based cross sections with the equal volume (ρc = 0.4, ρmin = 0.327)
conventional cross sections for pressure
vessels. The nondimensionalized
governing equation for the
determination of the isotensoids is
derived and the isotensoid-based
design procedure is elaborated. The
isotensoidal dome profiles are obtained
and then the isotensoidal toroids are
created by increasing the external
axial load to force the isotensoid-based
meridian to be closed. It is indicated that
the isotensoidal dome can become a
doubly-closed toroid-shaped shell if the
applied axial load reaches a sufficient
value. One should note that the axial
load is not needed and replaced by the
fiber tensional forces at the equator The pressure vessel is here designed directions can be achieved and
if the isotensoid becomes a toroid. based on the isotensoidal conditions, consequently improve the structural
The geometry of the isotensoids is i.e. equal shell strains and stresses in all efficiency of filament wound pressure
compared to that of the conventional directions. The fibers undergo the same vessels. The advantage of using the
shapes, in order to demonstrate the level of tension throughout the whole isotensoids can be justified on the
better performance and the lower aspect vessel subjected to internal pressure. grounds of greater performance of
ratio that the isotensoid design can gain In this sense, the isotensoidal structure pressure vessels.
for pressure vessels. It is concluded may be regarded as optimal since it
that the isotensoid-based design leads guarantees uniform stress distribution Since the present method can only be
to optimal stress distribution over the and maximum occupation of the regarded as a simple design approach
pressure vessel shell and the resulting fiber strength. Therefore, an optimal based on the netting theory, a more
structure has better conformability to distribution of the fiber strength in reasonable and complicated model
limited-height storage space. the respective meridional and parallel has to be created using the continuum

Polymers & Polymer Composites, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2014 231

 Lei Zu, Sotiris Koussios, Adriaan Beukers, and Dinghua Zhang
lamination theory that considers the
contribution of resin matrix. However,
it is believed that the present method
could prove very useful and innovative
in the preliminary design stage of
filament wound composite pressure
vessels.
Acknowledgements
This research is supported by the
National Basic Research Program of
China (Grant No. 2013CB035802) and
the “111” Project (Grant No. B13044).
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