Development of glass filament wound type-4 pressure vessels

Abstract

This work aims to develop a new generation of composite pressure vessels for large-
scale applications in relevant environment based on ‘S’ and/or ‘E’ type glass filament-based
composite by filament winding process. The filament-wound proposed cylinder must consist
of a HDPE inner liner made of glass fibre - epoxy matrix composite. The mechanical response
of the said pressure vessels with a capacity of 1000 litres can be understood by changing the
winding pattern of polar winding to improve the property profile under a maximum load of 100
psi at various winding angle. The elasto-plastic behaviour of the HDPE liner and thickness of
the wall the pressure vessel can be derived from micromechanical models for composite
laminates via finite element modelling. Ultimately, prototype pressure vessel will be
manufactured and subjected to pressure testing conditions of 100 psi, which will be validated
through a FEM study to move TRL 6.

Background
Gas cylinders are the bulkier component of alternative fuel systems, increasing the unladen
weight of the vehicle. Composite material has emerged as the front-runner in the race to find
pressure vessels that will considerably reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption. Research
is going on in numerous varieties of composite cylinders, their design and testing
specifications, and the benefits and drawbacks of each variety.
This research describes several cutting-edge, globally accessible technologies for cylinders,
together with their legal requirements and practical applications. The Indian automotive
industry has adopted Type 1, 2, and 3 with success. Comparative table shows the advantages
of Type-4 cylinders over conventional cylinders.

Type of Cylinder Construction Cost and Weight

Type 1 All metal (aluminium or
steel) Cheap but heavy

Type 2 Metal liner reinforced by

composite wrap (glass or
carbon fibre) around middle
(―hoop wrapped‖)
Liner takes 50% and
composite takes 50% of the
stress caused by internal
pressurization
Less heavy, but more cost

Type 3 Metal liner reinforced by

composite wrap around Liner takes small amount of
entire tank (―full wrapped‖) the stress
Light-weight, but expensive
 Type 4 Plastic gas-tight liner
reinforced by composite Entire strength of tank is
wrap around entire tank composite reinforcement
(―full wrapped‖) Light-weight, but expensive.

Currently type-4 pressure vessels in use are imported in India. Therefore an urgent need for
development of indigenous type-4 pressure vessels of comparable property profile made from
ingredients that would keep the price relatable to currently used pressure vessels.

Objective

Development of a cylinder with weld-free seamless inner shell made of special gas tight HDPE
with specially designed corrosion free boss wrapped with glass filament based high pressure
resistant outer liner as per the following milestones.

• To develop a new generation of composite pressure vessels for large-scale

applications based on solely glass fibre by filament winding process
• To standardize raw material components and process parameters (Use of ‘S’ and/or
‘E’ Glass, thickness of liner, wall of vessel etc.)
• To identify mechanical performance of developed product in industrial application via
endurance testing.

Benefits

The proposed glass fibre (‘S’ and/or ‘E’ type) based composite system has potential for it to be
light simultaneously increasing its resistance to corrosion. This results in the increased
durability pressure vessel and a distinctive winding pattern promises that it will be explosion-
proof (splinter free). The light weight makes more portable. The failure of pressure vessel (type
4 pressure vessel) is due to the failure at the weakest point. The break that confirms the leakage
of fluid from the point into the atmosphere limits the explosion as found in case of type 1 to 3.

• Lightweight (25% weight reduction with respect to Type 3)

• Portable
• Capacious.
• Wielding free
• Explosion free (Splinter free)

Lightweight portable capacious welding free pressure vessel of TYPE 4 provides the
mean for explosion free storage of the fluid.

Advantages of proposed cylinder over conventional cylinder

Light weighted
 • Wide range of usage
• Suitable on buses, tracks and Lorries.
• Producible at large volumes
• Efficiency at energy and usage.
• Profit is increased by getting more people on vehicle
Robustness
High-pressure resistant because of completely carbon fibre wrapped special
plastic inside of cylinder
Corrosion proof plastic inside shell
▪ Special plastic inside shell provides long using life.
▪ No corrosion during reloading and re unloading provides many years
usage.
▪ No performance degradations at any environment conditions.
▪ Resistant to gas leakage
▪ Flexible plastic inside shell is resistant to cracking and exploding
High technology carbon fibre material
• Excellent resistant to heat and aging
• Leak proof under any circumstances
Economic and Easy usage
• Used vehicles can be converted easily and cheaply.
Processing suitable for customer
• Processing according to customers' needs.
• Processing high technologic and with best raw material

A. Basic Details

# Category Details

Development of Filament glass filament wound type-4 pressure

1. Title of Project
vessels

Section -In-Charge (Fabric Formation &

2. PI’s Name Dr. Mallika Datta 3. Designation
Composite Material Testing Lab)

Mr. Devarun Nath (PhD. Scholar)

3 Co-PIs Miss. Adita Banerjee (4th Year B. Tech Student)
Mr. Agniv Chatterjee (4th Year B. Tech Student)

4. Institute’s Name Government College of Engineering and Textile Technology, Serampore

5. Segment/ Category 4.1 Development of Improved Reinforced Glass fiber Products

6. Type of Research Fundamental Research √ Applied Research

7. Timeline of Project 12 months

Total Cost of the

8. Rs. 78,00,000/- (in words Seventy-Eight Lakh rupees only)
Project

B. Technical Details

# Category Details

• To develop a new generation of composite pressure vessels for large-

scale applications in relevant environment based on solely glass fibre
by filament winding process
• To standardize raw material components and process parameters
1. Objectives
(Use of ‘S’ and/or ‘E’ Glass filament, thickness of liner, wall of
vessel etc.)
• To identify mechanical performance of developed product in
industrial application via endurance testing
(i) Existing 3-4 (PI and first Co-PI had carried out the research to the
TRL on the study effect of angle of disposition of glass filament on
Technology proposed mechanical response of filament wound pipe and optimum
Readiness topic stacking sequence of form of reinforcement .)
2.
Level (ii) TRL to
(TRL) be achieved
6
at the end of
the project
• Selection of angle of disposition of glass fibre filament
through prototype sampling
• Identification of suitable winding pattern for polar
winding
Critical Process &
3. • Designing and development of suitable pressure vessel
Technology
(Type 4) for application as mentioned in objectives.
• Type test for establishing the performance analysis for
applications in relevant environment (IS 15935: 2011).
• Comparison with carbon-glass hybrid pressure vessels
• To design and develop type 4 pressure vessel for
4. Novelty of the project application in relevant environment made solely of ‘S’
and/or ‘E’ glass.
 PI and first Co-PI established the technical feasibility of effect
Technical Feasibility of
of angle of disposition of glass filament on mechanical
5. the proposed idea with
response of filament wound vessel and optimum stacking
Scientific data
sequence of reinforcements.
Current (i) Type 4 pressure vessels are already in use based carbon and/or
status of International carbon hybrid system
6.
the Limited indigenous commercialised Type 4 pressure vessels
innovation (ii) National and imported products to meet present demand

Technology gap to be • Non availability of indigenous commercialised Type 4

7. identified & approach pressure vessels with competitive product quality for
to address import substitution in making AatmaNirbharBharat.

C. Comparative Details

# Category Details

(i) Existing
Carbon and/or Carbon hybrid system-based Type 4 Pressure
Technology/
Vessels
Process
(ii) Type 4 pressure vessel for application in relevant
Proposed environment made solely of ‘S’ and/or ‘E’ glass with
Technology/ optimum winding angle and variation winding pattern of
Comparative Process polar winding
analysis of Lightweight portable capacious welding free pressure
1.
proposed vessel of TYPE 4 provides the mean for explosion free
technology (iii) storage of the fluid.
Benefits of
• Lightweight (25% weight reduction with respect to
the
Type 3)
proposed
• Portable
technology/
• Capacious.
Process
• Wielding free
• Explosion free (Splinter free)
A proposed technology
2. concept with necessary Figure 1 ( Annnexure I)
figures/ flow diagrams

Strategy & Research

3. methodology/ Materials Figure 2 (Annexure II)
to be used in research
 Key deliverable at
endpoint of lab grade/ Demonstration of system prototype in relevant
4.
prototypes/ commercial environment.
level products
One suitable reinforcement with comparable property profile
and cost.
Optimised design of type-4 cylinder from studies as follows
Targeted
• Optimization of polar design (out of 6) and winding
Deliverables/Product(s)
angle (out of 5) from a study of 150 sample size
in terms of quantitative
• Design of inner liner through Finite element
5. measure. Also, add a
modelling.
comparison with some
• Design of Aluminium boss
level of reference, if
• Interaction study between inner liner, reinforcing
possible.
wraps and boss
• Preparation of Final pressure vessels
• Testing from third party laboratory
An entrepreneur can be identified to run a project for
Commercialization/ development Type 4 pressure vessel for available market size
6.
Upscaling strategy of 1000 Crores and above (INR) with generating
employment for this industry.
 D. Milestones Details

Timeline (in
months from
Sl.
Milestone the TRL Number
no.
sanctioning of
the project)
Experimental proof of concept at TRL 3
by PI and Co-PI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1528083
719894737
https://www.researchgate.net/profi
le/Mallika-
Datta/publication/319182201_Infl
1. Literature review 0 month uence_of_Winding_Angle_on_the
_Physical_Properties_of_Filament
_Wound_Composite_Pipe/links/59
989dc045851564432b554f/Influen
ce-of-Winding-Angle-on-the-
Physical-Properties-of-Filament-
Wound-Composite-Pipe
Selection of ‘S’ and/or ‘E’ type Starts from 1st
2. glass fibre reinforcement of month
various form
Design development with varying
2nd and 3rd Optimisation and Technology validated
3. winding angle and pattern design
months in lab - TRL 4
of polar winding
Prediction of product performance
4. via finite element modelling 4th month
before designing of the die
Die/Mould development based on 5th and 6th
optimisation and technology month
5.
validated in lab via finite element Laboratory validation of integrated
modelling system -TRL 5
7th and 8th
6. Prototype/s development
month
Prototype/s performance
7. 8 to 10th month
assessment Technology demonstration in
th th relevant environment-TRL 6
Approval from competent 11 to 12
8
authority month
 E. PERT Chart

Quarter Quarter
Quarter 1 Quarter 2
Activities Deliverables 3(3 4 (3
(3 months) (3 months)
months) months)
Procurement Procurement of
of laboratory workstation and ANSYS
equipment software
Procurement Procurement of resin,
of Raw Glass, and Carbon
Material filaments etc.
Identification Inner liner thickness
of suitable optimisation, inner liner
inner liner design, boss design, liner-
and boss boss interaction check
Winding angle
Identification optimisation, polar design
of suitable optimization for
reinforcement identification of thickness
of the reinforcing layer
Preparation Preparation of final
of prototype product/s maintaining
product optimised parameters

Testing of the final

Testing
product/s
F. The instrument available to the PI and Co-PIs at Composite Testing Lab of
GCETTS*

• Charpy impact tester

• Barcol hardness strength tester
• Limiting Oxygen Index tester
• Arc Resistance Tester
• Pneumatic Sample Cutting machine
• Brookfield Viscometer
• BSWA Impedance tube
• Some composite testing facilities of laboratory partner (Industry Partner)
*PI also has access to industrial setup of computer aided filament winding machine and
blow molding on payment basis for some specific cases
 G. Budget Details (in INR)

Sl
Category Year 1 Justification
No.

1. Equipment/ infrastructure (Excluding building and land)

Finite Element
Prediction of product performance via
Modelling software
1a 21,50,000/- finite element modelling before
(Ansys mechanical
designing of the die
software)

1b Workstation 1,50,000/- Assisting software

1c Die development 20,00,000/- Prototype/s development

2. Contingency

Some industrial facilities of making

Outsourcing of
2a 10,00,000/- glass fibre-based filament wound
production facilities
pressure vessels are required
Approval from competent authority via
Outsourcing of testing
2b 10,00,000/- 3rd party testing (like TBRL-
facilities
Chandigarh)

3. Consumables 5,00,000/- Procurement of raw materials

Miscellaneous (as per

4. 2,00,000/- Sundry expenses and patent filling
requirement)
Transportation and Transportation and attending the
5. 1,00,000/-
conveyance quarterly meeting
Institution charge (@
6. 7,00,000/- As per Government rule.
10% of project cost)

Total 78,00,000/-
 Annexure I

Figure 1: Product Concept

 Annexure II

Figure 2: Proposed manufacturing process and Research Methodology