Modeling and Optimization of Ultra High Pressure Vessel with Self-Protective Flat Steel Ribbons Wound and Tooth-Locked Quick-Actuating End Closure

摘要

Ultra-High Pressure Vessel (UHPV) with self-protective Flat Steel Ribbons (FSR) wound and Tooth-Locked Quick-Actuating (TLQA) end closure is a new type of vessel developed in recent years. When the structural parameters of its TLQA and Buttress Thread (BT) end closure are determined using the ordinary engineering design method, Design by Analysis (DBA) shows that the requirement on fatigue life of this unique UHPV could hardly be satisfied. To solve the above problem, an integrated FE modeling method has been proposed in this paper. To investigate the fatigue life of TLQA and BT end closures of a full-scale unique UHPV, a three-dimensional (3-D) Finite Element (FE) solid model and a two-dimensional (2-D) FE axisymmetric model are built in FE software ANSYS, respectively., Nonlinear FE analysis and orthogonal testing are both conducted to obtain the optimum structure strength, in which the peak stress in the TLQA or BT end closure of the unique UHPV is taken as an optimal target. The important parameters, such as root structure of teeth, contact pressure between the pre-stressed collar and the cylinder end, the knuckle radius, the buttress thread profile and the local structure of the cylinder, are optimized. As a result, both the stress distribution at the root of teeth and the axial load carried by each thread are improved. Therefore, the load-carrying capacity of the end closure has been reinforced and the fatigue life of unique UHPV has been extended.