Pressure vessel and method of manufacturing same

A method of manufacturing a pressure vessel, the method comprising:

• providing a liner comprising a cylinder part and side parts provided at both ends of the cylinder part, each side part having a dome shape;
• forming a first hoop layer that surrounds a part of an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, wherein forming the first hoop layer comprises forming an inner hoop layer that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part and forming an outer hoop layer that surrounds an outer surface of the inner hoop layer;
• and
• forming second hoop layers that surround other parts of the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, each of the second hoop layers having a smaller thickness than the first hoop layer, wherein forming the second hoop layers comprises winding a first winding layer around the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, and winding a second winding layer around the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part so as to define a same layer as the first winding layer, and wherein the inner hoop layer and the first winding layer are formed first, and then the outer hoop layer and the second winding layer are formed, wherein:
• the first hoop layer surrounds a central region of the cylinder part, and
• the second hoop layers surround two edge regions of the cylinder part with the first hoop layer interposed between the second hoop layers,
• wherein the second hoop layers occupy the entire region between the first hoop layer and the side parts, and
• wherein the second hoop layers as a whole have a constant thickness in the two edge regions.

A pressure vessel comprising:

• a liner comprising a cylinder part and side parts provided at both ends of the cylinder part, each side part having a dome shape;
• and
• a carbon fiber layer comprising a first hoop layer surrounding a central region of an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, a first edge hoop layer surrounding a first edge region of the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, and a second edge hoop layer surrounding a second edge region of the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, the second edge region being opposite the first edge region and spaced apart by the central region so that the first hoop layer is interposed between the first and the second edge hoop layers,
• wherein each of the first and the second edge hoop layers comprises
• a first winding layer wound around the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, the first winding layer having the thickness of the each of the first and the second edge hoop layers, and
• a second winding layer wound around the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, the second winding layer having the thickness of the each of the first and the second edge hoop layers,
• wherein the first and the second edge hoop layers have a smaller thickness than the first hoop layer,
• wherein the second hoop layers occupy the entire region between the first hoop layer and the side parts, and
• wherein each of the first and the second edge hoop layers as a whole have a constant thickness in the first and the second edge regions.