Reinforced filament-wound cut-port pressure vessel and method of making same
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorCharles M. Minke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The fabricated pressure vessel is a filament wound structure having a connt winding angle assuring maximum filament utilization efficiency and also having polar end openings of different sizes. Fabrication of the vessel includes a first step of forming a structure having filament windings and identically-sized polar openings equal to or less than the smaller of the openings dictated by the design. Identical openings permit the constant winding angle. In the winding operation, wafer-like mats formed of dimensionally-stable material are interspersed between the filament layers at each polar end. In the final step, the polar openings then are machined to the desired size. The interspersed mats encircle the polar openings and reinforce the polar regions.
Claims7
A method of making a filament wound pressure vessel having a desired constant helical winding angle and having finally sized polar end openings one of which is larger than the other, comprising:
- windably forming an initial pressure vessel structure having a symetrical curvative formed by an elongate cylindrical body portion and ovaloid end portions having identically-sized polar end openings of a diameter no greater than the smaller of said finally sized openings,
- said vessel being formed by winding the filament of each layer at a constant helical angle across the length of said body portion and said end portions and said helical angle being one that constantly maintains a winding path that follows a geodesic line of the symetrically-arcuate surfaces being formed,
- reinforcing said polar ends of said initial vessel by interspersing a wafer-like mat between each of said filament layers, and
- matching at least one of said initial polar ends to enlarge its opening to the desired final size,
- said mats reinforceably encircling the edge portions of said finally-sized openings and being formed of material that is dimensionally stable under pressure vessel operating conditions.
A method of making a plurality of filament-wound pressure vessels each having an identical constant helical winding angle and polar end openings of varying sizes, comprising:
- windably forming a plurality of initial pressure vessel structures each having a symetrical curvature formed by an elongate cylindrical body portion and ovaloid end portions having identically-sized polar end openings no greater than the smallest of said varying sizes,
- said vessels each being formed by winding the filament of each layer at a constant helical angle across the length of its body portion and its end portions and said helical angle being one that constantly maintains a winding path that follows a geodesic line of the symetrically-arcuate surfaces being formed,
- reinforcing said polar ends of said initial vessels by interspersing a wafer-like mat between each filament layer, and
- machining said initial openings to said varying sizes,
- said mats reinforcably encircling the edge portions of said varying sized openings and being formed of a material that is dimensionally stable under pressure vessel operating conditions.
A filament-wound pressure vessel comprising:
- an elongate symmetrically-shaped vessel structure having a cylindrical body portion and a pair of symmetrically-ovaloid polar end portions each provided with a polar opening one of which is larger in diameter than the other,
- said vessel structure including:
- a plurality of filament layers each formed of a helical filament winding extending across said length and end portions of said vessel at a constant winding angle on a winding path that follows the geodesic line of said symmetrical length and end portions, and,
- a wafer-like mat disposed between each filament layer in closely encircling proximity to the edge portions of said polar openings,
- said mats being formed of a material that is dimensionally stable under pressure vessel operating conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.