The increasing use of composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) in space applications demands a comprehensive and reliable analysis procedure to ensure the vessels' structural integrity and conformance to the safety requirements. This paper introduces an analysis procedure, entitled COSAP (Composite Overwrapped pressure vessel Stress Analysis Program), for the analysis of COPVs and other filament wound structures. The core of the procedure is a multi-step nonlinear finite element analysis, which simulates sizing and burst cycles of a COPV. The resulting fiber strains and liner stresses and strains can then be used for predicting the burst pressure and performing fatigue and fracture mechanics analyses. Pre- and post-processors were developed to automate the complicated finite element modeling and to facilitate the post-processing of finite element results. Detailed procedures were established for the prediction of burst pressure and the fatigue and fracture analyses. Results of an example problem are presented, which correlate well with experimental data.
展开▼
