Pressure vessel prestressing technique
AssigneeEssef Corporation
InventorEdward T. LeBreton
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Abstract
A method of making a filament wound pressure vessel. A thermoplastic liner is filament wound with a commingled roving containing thermoplastic and reinforcing filaments. The wound tank is partially filled with a cooling liquid and the wound tank is heated to a temperature which is sufficient to vaporize a portion of the liquid to pressurize the liner at a preselected set pressure and sufficient to fuse the thermoplastic matrix, but insufficient to significantly soften the liner.
Claims5
A method of making a filament wound composite pressure vessel comprising the steps of providing a thermoplastic liner having a cylindrical sidewall, convex end walls and at least one access opening in at least one of said walls, providing a reinforcing filament commingled in a thermoplastic matrix,
- said thermoplastic matrix having a melting point higher than a melting point of said liner,
- helically winding said filament and matrix about said walls to provide a wound liner partially filling said liner with a liquid,
- closing said access opening and providing a pressure relief valve at said access opening, said valve being adaptable to vent the interior of the liner at a set predetermined pressure, heating said wound line to a temperature sufficient to vaporize a portion of said liquid to pressurize said liner at said set predetermined pressure and sufficient to fuse the thermoplastic matrix but insufficient to significantly soften said thermoplastic liner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.