Pressure tests of cylindrical steel pressure vessels reinforced with steel wire wrapping

Abstract

To examine the bursting-strength and crack-arrest benefits that may be gained by adding circumferential wire wrapping on a cylindrical steel pressure vessel, four wire-wrapped steel vessels were pneumatically, internally pressurized to failure. Two of the vessels had intentional notch-type defects in the cylinder wall, one had notch-type defects in the wire, and one had no defects. The tests showed that circumferential wire wrapping limits the total extension and rate of extension of longitudinal cracks and restrains crack propagation. Also, the bursting pressure of a wire-wrapped cylinder is greater than that for a nonwrapped cylinder of similar wall thickness and approaches that for a nonwrapped sphere. Wire-wrapped cylindrical vessels may provide both cost and weight savings over a similar nonwrapped vessel of equal strength. The aspects of increased fracture toughness and increased bursting strength would certainly be beneficial concepts in reactor pressure vessels.