CompositesEngineering,Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.

51-59, 1995
Copyright © 1995ElsevierScienceLtd
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0961-9526(94) E00083-2

DESIGN OF DOMES FOR POLYMERIC COMPOSITE

PRESSURE VESSELS

M. Hojjati, V. Safavi Ardebili and S. V. Hoa

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal,
Quebec H3G 1MS, C a n a d a

(Received 16 August 1994; final version accepted 23 September 1994)

A b s t r a c t - - T h e role of mechanical properties of composite material in dome contour design
has been investigated. It has been shown that the optimal dome profile depends on the ratio of
longitudinal Young's modulus to transverse Young's modulus in individual laminae (Ex/Ey). This
profile for any type of composite material always lies between the Netting Analysis solution
(Ey = 0, E~/Er = oo) and a semi-circle which is the solution for the square symmetric (Ex/Ey = 1)
and isotropic materials. The shells of revolution of double curvature, classical lamination theory
(CLT) and the geodesic-isotensoid assumptions have been used.

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N

Filament-wound pressure vessels always require some type of end-closure or dome.

Design of a dome is a major part of design of any pressure vessel. Most investigators
(Rosato and Grove, 1964; Shibley, 1982; Peters et al., 1991) have used the Netting Theory
Assumption to design the end-closure. Structural properties are derived primarily from
the arrangement of continuous reinforcements in a netting system in which the forces, due
to internal pressure, are resisted only by pure tension in the filament. In this approach, the
strength of resin is considered negligible in comparison to the fiber strength. The path
which has been considered by those investigators is Geodesic. It is well known, that for
every curved surface, the greatest winding stability is obtained following geodesic
paths. In practice, restricting the winding trajectories to a geodesic path severely limits
the opportunity to match the fiber angles to the applied stress system. This happens
particularly when the shape of the part has been predetermined. Some investigators
(Wells and McAnulty, 1987; Marchetti et al., 1989) have tried to solve this problem by
finding Non-Geodesic paths. But they have still employed the netting theory.
The goal of this investigation is to develop another technique to design the end-
closure profile based on the composite material properties. The behaviour of composite
is modeled by Classical Lamination Theory (CLT) in which the behaviour of matrix in
composite has been taken into account. The path is considered to be geodesic.

2. M A T H E M A T I C A L M O D E L

Consider a shell of revolution of double curvature as shown in Fig. 1. The radius of

curvature of the meridian is denoted by r t , and r 2 is the circumferential radius. These radii
are related to the X, Y coordinates, which establish the contour, in the following manner
(see eqns (A9), (A12) in the Appendix)

-(1 + (y,)2)3/2
rl = g,, (1)

-X(1 + (y,)2)1/2
r2 = y, , (2)

where Y' and Y" are the first and second derivatives of Y with respect to X.
51
52 M. Hojjati et al.

y / Filamentpath

Point P -- ~ / / ODirection
Dircain,

Fig. 1. Geometry of shell of revolution.

The principal membrane forces for a shell of revolution of double curvature due to
internal pressure are
Pr2 (3)
AT*= 2

N0=-~(2-~). (4)

A combination of eqns (1)-(4) will result in the following equation:

r2 XY" No
r1 Y'(1 + (y,)2) 2 N, (5)

The contour of the dome is obtained by solution of the following ordinary differential
equation:
XY" No
= 2 - -- (6)
Y'(1 + (y,)2) m,"
For this purpose, N, and N o should be calculated. Two basic approaches which can be used
to compute these meridian and circumferential forces are Netting Analysis and Classical
Lamination Theory (CLT). In both approaches, the basic idea is to load the filaments to
identical stress levels which is called Isotensoid. During pressurization, the vessel is under
uniform strain; consequently no bending stresses or discontinuity stresses are induced.

2.1. Netting theory

Netting analysis is a simplified procedure for predicting stresses in a fiber reinforced
composite by neglecting the contribution of the resin system. For a balanced stress
condition at each point of a path, the filament strength in the principal directions is
equated to the meridian and circumferential forces, and the following equation results
(Shibley, 1982):
No = tan2a (7)
N,
where ot is the winding angle, which changes from a certain angle to 90 ° at the pole.

2.2. Classical lamination theory

The role of the matrix is considered in this theory. Mechanical properties of the
composite are computed with regard to the mechanical properties of both matrix and
fiber. To get a value for the mechanical properties of a composite in a particular direction
 Domes for polymericcomposite pressure vessels 53
from the properties of laminae, those properties should be transformed. This can be done
by using the transformation matrices (Tsai and Hahn, 1980).
In order to use CLT, another assumption should be made. Each element on the
contour is assumed to be a flat plate. This is an approximation which is of a physical,
rather than mathematical, nature. In this, it is assumed that the behaviour of a continu-
ously curved surface can be adequately represented by the behaviour of a surface built up
of small flat elements. Intuitively, as the size of subdivisions decreases, it would seem that
convergence must occur. The problem can therefore be reduced to a laminate plate
subjected to axial forces in two directions.
The stress-strain relation for a symmetric laminate subjected to two axial forces can
be expressed as (Tsai and Hahn, 1980):

No A21 A22J Ce~

where A e are moduli of the laminae.
To satisfy the isotensoid condition, strain at each point should be the same in all
directions, so
No = A21 + A22 (9)
N• All + A12
where A e should be calculated by using the transformation of modulus in which the angle
of transformation would be the winding angle (ct) at that point. It can be shown that
whenever Ey = 0, eqn (9) is reduced to eqn (7), which is netting theory assumption. Also,
eqn (9) shows that the shear modulus has no effect in this design. Therefore, whenever
ratio E x / E z becomes unity, using eqn (9) will result in a contour which is applicable for
both cases: square symmetric and isotropic materials (the solution in this case is a sphere
with diameter D which is the cylinder diameter).
Another assumption which is employed in both approaches is a Geodesic condition.
The geodesic path is the shortest distance between two points along any surface. Using
this concept, it is possible to derive a profile which yields the best winding stability. For
the path to be geodesic, Clairaut's equation should be satisfied:
X s i n o~ = constant. (10)
At the tangency point, the winding angle tx becomes 90 ° and

Xo
sincz = -~-, (11)

where Xo is the boss radius.

3. SOLUTIONOF EQUATIONS
Based on the netting theory or CLT, eqns (6), (7) and (10) or (6), (9) and (10) should
be solved, respectively. In order to get a solution for each group of equations, we need to
derive some new equations. These equations will be obtained from geometry of path.
As shown in Fig. 2, P and P ' are two points on the dome contour. Suppose that the fiber
moves from point P to P ' . A l is the length travelled by fiber between these two points.
Am is the length travelled by the fiber in the meridional direction (Am is located on the
meridian passing through point P). The relation between A / a n d Am can be expressed as
Am = A/cos ct (12)
where ot is the winding angle.
The distance which is travelled in the X-direction due to the movement of fiber from
P to P ' is shown by Ax. The following relation can be obtained
Ax = A/cos ct cos ~ (13)
where ¢ is the angle between the X-axis and the meridian passing through point P.
54 M. Hojjati et al.

Ly
Boss center
"~ po

" ' " ' " iAm 4~

Fig. 2. Geometry of path.

The next parameter is A0, the change of circumferential angle due to movement Al.
It can be shown
AI sin c~
AO - (14)
X
Combination of this equation with eqn (1 l) will result in
AIXo
A 0 = X---T - (15)

It should be noted that the parameter A0 has an important role during the manufacturing
process. Summation o f all A0 is called dwell angle. Dwell angle is the amount of angle
that the mandrel rotates while the traverse mechanism is stationary.
Two other useful equations for the solution can be obtained directly from eqn (11)
and relation tan ~ = - Y ' . From eqn (11), the following relation can be derived

cos a = 1- (16)

From the relation tan ~ = - Y ' , the last equation will he obtained.
1
cos ~ = x/1 + (y,)2" (17)

We will explain later how to use these equations to solve the problem.
We need to define the boundary conditions to solve the ordinary differential eqn (6).
There is, however, a singular point at the boundary, at
D
X=-- y'=oo.
2'

To overcome this difficulty, eqn (6) should be parameterized. The Cartesian

coordinates o f contour can be written as a function of parameter m

(18)
-- f2(m)
The first and second derivative of Y with respect to X can be expressd as
y, dY dY dm f2'
(19)
dX dm d X fl'

Y" = t,~) = (f,'Y '

(20)
 Domes for polymeric composite pressure vessels 55

where fi’ and f; are the first and second derivatives off; with respect to m. Substituting
eqns (18)-(19) into eqn (6), one can obtain

fl(f{f;’ -f;‘fi) =f;((f;)* + (f;)*) 2 -

( $ >* (21)

To be able to get an expression for f;'and f; with respect to lower derivatives off, and
f2, we need another equation to be solved simultaneously with eqn (21). One can write

(dX)* + (dY)* = (dm)* (22)

(g+(gJ=l (23)

and therefore
(f/l2 + (fi’* = 1. (24)
Taking the derivatives of eqn (24) with respect to m, results in

f{f;’ + f[f;’ = 0. (25)

Equations (21) and (25) are a system of equations which should be solved to obtain the
final expression for f;’ and f{. The results are

(26)

(27)

Considering the following functions,

(8, =f, =x
g, = fi = y

’ g, =f; =g (28)

\&=fi’=g,

eqns (26)-(28) lead to a set of ordinary differential equations

fs; =g3

s; = g4

2
,g;=If! 2-E!
(29)
( N+>

2X! )
\gi =? ( N6J>
where gf is the derivative of gi with respect to m. This system of ordinary differential

g;=
equations should be solved under the following boundary conditions:

SP = x0

I
f
0
atm=O (30)
g; = 0
g4” = 1.
56 M. Hojjati et al.
A system o f ordinary differential equations (29) can be integrated numerically by any
type of Runge-Kutta method to calculate the coordinates o f contour. At the beginning o f
integration, we have
~b = 90 °

0=0 o

• _1D
ot = sin --
d

X = D
--
2

Y = 0,

where D and d are cylinder diameter and boss diameter, respectively. At the next step
o f integration, eqns (12)-(14), (16) and (17) are employed to calculate the new values
for parameters q~, 0 and or. The integration continues to obtain the whole profile. It
should be noted that usually the whole profile cannot be obtained through the integration•
The reason is that in eqn (6) when No/N# equals 2, then r~ = co or Y" = 0, which is
an inflection point. In other words, the curvature of profile after this point will be
reversed, which is not acceptable for the dome o f a pressure vessel. Therefore, after the
inflection point, the rest of the profile will be approximated by a sphere with radius r 2.
In practice, this is a very small portion o f profile and falls within the area covered by boss
fitting insert.

4. RESULTS

A computer code called DOME has been developed to solve this problem. To integrate
eqn (29) numerically, the Fourth-order Runge-Kutta method has been employed. The
program checks to find the inflection point. When it happens, the rest of profile is
calculated by considering a sphere between the inflection point and boss location.
The inputs of the program are material properties and cylinder and boss diameters. The
outputs are X and Y coordinates o f profile, winding angle (or), circumferential angle (0),
angle (4) and finally the radius of curvature o f meridian (rl) and circumferential radius
(r2) at each point.
Consider a dome which is connected to a cylinder with diameter (D) equal to two*
and has a boss diameter (d) equal to 0.6. The dome contour should be calculated for
different types o f materials. Assume that the material is square symmetric (Ex/Ey -- 1)
or isotropic. The result of numerical integration shows that the contour for square
symmetric or isotropic materials under those assumptions should be a semi-circle with
radius D/2 (unity in this example) which is well known in the design of thin-walled
pressure vessels (Fig. 3). This is the upper limit of the solution. As a second choice,
the system of ordinary differential equations is solved for netting analysis theory
(Rx/Ey = co). The lower limit o f dome contour is given by this solution. Two other types
o f polymeric composite used for calculations are

• Glass/Epoxy (Ex/Ey = 3),

• Carbon/Epoxy(Ex/Ey = 40).
The results are shown in Fig. 3. In general, all possible contours for different types
o f composite materials always lie between a semi-circle (with diameter D) and the netting
analysis solution. It depends on the ratio between longitudinal Young's modulus (Ex) and
transverse Young's modulus (Ey) in individual laminae. With increasing Ex/Ey, the
profile becomes farther from the semi-circle and closer to the netting solution.

* This is equivalent to normalizingthe spacial variable by the cylinder radius.

 Domes for polymeric composite pressure vessels 57

1.0
0.9 R=l

0.8 R=3
O.7 R..~
0.6 R_-~
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
I I
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
x
Fig. 3. Dome profile for different composite materials (R = Ex/Ey).

F o r d i f f e r e n t types o f m a t e r i a l s , the fiber p a t h a n d dwell angle are s h o w n in Figs 4 - 7 .

M i n i m u m dwell angle h a p p e n s f o r the netting s o l u t i o n a n d m a x i m u m dwell angle is 180 ° ,
w h i c h is for w i n d i n g a b o u t a sphere which is the s o l u t i o n for s q u a r e s y m m e t r i c a n d
i s o t r o p i c m a t e r i a l s . W i t h increasing Ex/Ey, dwell angle decreases. Dwell angles for
d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f m a t e r i a l s a r e s h o w n in T a b l e 1.
A s m e n t i o n e d b e f o r e , t h e r e is a n inflection p o i n t in the solution. T h e p o s i t i o n o f this
p o i n t d e p e n d s o n r a t i o Ex/Ey. W i t h Ex/Ey a p p r o a c h i n g unity, the inflection p o i n t m o v e s
to the boss l o c a t i o n .

l.O

0.5

0.~ Cylinder

~.~

-1.0 I I
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Fig. 4. Fiber path on dome for R = 1.

1.0

0.5

0.0 Cylinder

-0.5

-!. I I
0.o 0.5 I .o 1.5 2.0
Fig. 5. Fiber path on dome for R = 3.
58 M. Hojjati et al.

0"0~1 l Cy,.do,
0.5

-0.5

-I.0 I I I
0.0 0.5 !.0 1.5 2.0
Fig. 6. Fiber path on dome for R = 40.

0.5

0.0 Cylinder

-0"5L~///I I

-!o I I
0.0 0.5 !.0 1.5 2.0
Fig. 7. Fiber path on dome for R = oo.

Table. 1 Dwell angle for different

composite materials

E~IEy o°

1 180
3 168.4
40 163.1
co 162.7

5. CONCLUSION

In this paper the effect of mechanical properties of composite material on the dome
contour of the filament-wound pressure vessel has been shown. It is proved that the resin
properties have a major role on the dome contour design. To take into consideration the
real behaviour of composite and resin contribution in design, Classical Lamination
Theory has been employed. As shown in Fig. 3, for any type of composite material,
the dome shape always lies between the netting theory solution and a semi-sphere. The
important parameter which determines the shape of contour is ratio E x / E y .

REFERENCES
Marchetti, M., Cutolo, D. and Di Vita, G. (1989/a) Filament winding of composite structures: validation of the
manufacturing process. In ICCM-VII, pp. 135-140. Proc. 7th Int. Conf. Compos. Mater. China.
Marchetti, M., Cutolo, D. and Di Vita, G. (1989/h) Design of domes by use of the filament winding technique.
ECCM-III, pp. 401-408, Proc. 3rd European Conf. Compos. Mater. France.
Peters, S. T., Humphrey, W. D. and Foral, R. F. (1991). Filament Winding--Composite Structure Fabrication.
SAMPE. tl
Rosato, D. V. and Grove, C. S. (1964). Filament Winding: its Development, Manufacture, Applications, and
Design. Interscience Publisher, New York.
Shibley, A. M. (1982). Filament winding. In Handbook o f Composites (Edited by George Lubin), pp. 449-478.
Van Nostrand Reinhold, London, New York.
Tsai, S. W. and Hahn, H. T. (1980). Introduction to Composite Materials. Technomic Publishing Company,
Lancaster, PA.
Wells, G. M. and McAnuity, K. F. (1987) Computer aided filament winding using non-geodesic trajectories.
In ICCM-VI, pp. 1.161-1.173. Proc. 6th Int. Conf. Compos. Mater. London, UK.
 Domes for polymeric composite pressure vessels 59

APPENDIX

To get an expression between radii r~ and r 2 with the X, Y coordinates, we may specify the direction of T
(tangent to the curve at point P ) by means of the angle ~ between the X axis and T in the XY-plane (see
Fig. A1). The rate of change of this slope angle ~ with respect to arc length m (measured in radians per unit of
length) is taken as the mathematical definition of the curvature of the curve at point P. The Greek letter K is used
to denote curvature and its definition is given by the equation

dO
x = -- (Al)
dm
where
tan ~ = - Y' (A2)

dm = x/(dX) 2 + (dY) 2 (A3)

and Y' is the first derivative of Y with respect to X. One may derive a formula for r from the equations above
in a straightforward manner
= - tan- l(y,) (A4)
and hence
dr~ - Y"
(AS)
dX 1 + (y,)2

where Y" is the second derivative of Y with respect to X. From eqn (A3)

dm
-- = x/l + (y,)2 (A6)
dX

so that
d~ dO/dX - Y"
r dm dm/dX - (1 + (y,)2)3/2" (A7)

The radius of curvature of meridian r I is defined as

1
r I = -- (A8)
K

hence
- ( 1 + (y,)2)3/2
r 1 --
y,, (A9)

The next step is to obtain a relation between circumferential radius r z and X, Y coordinates (see Fig. 1).
It can be expressed as
X
= ----. (AI0)
r2 sin tb

By considering eqn (A2), one can write

_y,
sin (1 + (y,)2)1/2" (A11)

Combining eqns (A10) and ( A l l ) will result in

- X ( 1 + (y,)2)1/2
r 2 = y, (AI2)

Therefore, eqns (A9) and (A12) relate radii r,, r 2 to the X, Y coordinates. These coordinates establish the dome
contour.

Fig. A I . Geometry of dome profile.