Stress Rupture Testing and Analysis of the NASA WSTF-JPL Carbon Overwrapped Pressure Vessels

Carbon composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) are widely used in applications from spacecraft to life support. COPV technology provides a pressurized media storage advantage over amorphous technology with weight savings on the order of 30 percent. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been supporting the development of this technology since the early 1970's with an interest in safe application of these components to reduce mass to orbit. NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) has been testing components in support of this objective since the 1980s and has been involved in test development and analysis to address affects of impact, propellant and cryogenic fluids exposure on Kevlar and carbon epoxy. The focus of this paper is to present results of a recent joint WSTF-Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) effort to assess safe life of these components. The WSTF-JPL test articles consisted of an aluminum liner and a carbon fiber overwrap in an industry standard epoxy resin system. The vessels were specifically designed with one plus-minus helical wrap and one hoop wrap over the helical and they measured 4.23 x 11.4 in. long. 120 test articles were manufactured in August of 1998 of one lot fiber and resin and the 110 test articles were delivered to WSTF for test. Ten of the 120 test articles were burst tested at the manufacturer to establish the delivered fiber stress. Figure 1 shows a test article in a pre burst condition and with a hoop fiber failure (no leak of pressurized media) and post burst (failure of liner and loss of pressurized media).