Composite pressure tank and process for its manufacture
AssigneeMicrocosm, Inc.
InventorsRoy S. Cundiff, Aaron S. Leichner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pressure vessel and method for producing a pressure vessel is disclosed. The pressure vessel comprises a liner shell fabricated from composite material applied to a soluble mandrel having a body shaped to pattern an interior of the pressure vessel, the liner shell having an opening, a boss having an aperture therethrough, the boss sealingly bonded to the liner shell with the aperture adjacent the opening, and an outer shell fabricated from plies of composite material filament impregnated with matrix material wound over the liner shell and the boss, but not over the aperture.
Claims20
A method of constructing a pressure vessel, comprising the steps of:
- preparing a soluble mandrel on which a liner shell is to be fabricated, the mandrel having body shaped to pattern an interior of the pressure vessel, and including an end fitting protruding from the tool body at a location of a desired opening in the pressure vessel;
- laying up plies of composite material over the soluble mandrel in multiple layers that cover the mandrel completely but leave the end fitting protruding through the layers of composite material;
- curing the liner shell to form a rigid structure in the shape of the vessel;
- mounting a boss having an aperture therethrough on the outer surface of the shell with the aperture disposed adjacent the desired opening in the pressure vessel;
- overwrapping the liner shell and mounted boss but not the aperture with wound filaments impregnated with matrix material;
- and
- curing the over wrapped liner shell and mounted boss.
A method of constructing a pressure vessel, comprising the steps of:
- preparing a soluble mandrel on which a liner shell is to be fabricated, the mandrel having body shaped to pattern an interior of the pressure vessel, and including an end fitting protruding from the tool body at a location of a desired opening in the pressure vessel;
- filament winding plies of composite material over the mandrel in multiple layers that cover the body completely but leave the end fitting protruding from the layers of composite material;
- curing the liner shell to form a rigid structure in the shape of the vessel;
- mounting a boss having an aperture therethrough on the outer surface of the shell with the aperture disposed over the desired opening in the pressure vessel;
- overwrapping the liner shell and mounted boss but not the aperture with wound filaments impregnated with matrix material;
- and
- curing the over wrapped liner shell and mounted boss.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.