PRESSURIZED RING TEST FOR COMPOSITE PRESSURE-VESSEL HOOP STRENGTH ANDSTIFFNESS EVALUATION

With the expanding use of composite pressure vessels, including space, tactical, and civil applications, accurate prediction of performance becomes increasingly important. A critical parameter in performance pr ediction is the burst strength, as measured by the hoop fiber ultimate strain-to-failure. This paper discusses a newly developed test method that is capable of pressure testing 50.8-cm diameter rings with repre sentative composite pressure vessels' laminate thicknesses and lay-ups . Tests of rings with various laminate thicknesses and lay-ups showed excellent agreement with measured delivered fiber strength and stiffne ss in full-scale composite pressure vessels. Test data show nearly a o ne-to-one scaling in strength.