The initiation and progression of damage in composite overwrapped pressure vessels subjected to contact loads

In order to investigate the residual strength of composite overwrapped pressure vessels subjected to impact loads, an extensive experimental study has been performed. The vessels are loaded up to different mechanical work levels (quasi-static) or with various impact energies (dynamic). After loading, the emerged damage in the pressure vessel is examined using computed tomography scans. The tests of vessels up to various energies enable us to visualize the initiation and progressive growth of damage. The overall influence of the damage is subsequently quantified by means of a burst pressure test. Accordingly, the reduction of burst pressure can be used to evaluate the global severity of the observed damage in the computed tomography scan. From the experiments, it is concluded that the first failure mechanisms, that is, delaminations, do not cause a meaningful reduction of the burst pressure. Shear bands, on the other hand, which are formed thereafter, do induce a significant decrease of the residual strength.