DESIGN AND RELIABILITY OF AN ALUMINUM LINER/FRP HYBRID GAS BOTTLE FOR LOW PRESSURE LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS

摘要

A hybrid gas bottle, composed of an aluminum liner partially reinforced with thin FRP, was developed in order to achieve a considerable reduction in weight of the delivery type bottle for low pressure liquefied petroleum gas. Stress was put on the safety of the bottle with damage given in the FRP layer during the delivery process. An allowable limit of the damage was proposed by FEM analysis and experiments, which revealed that much severer damage than that of the high pressure bottles can be accepted for the low pressure bottle. Various kinds of damage caused by hypothetically violent handling was also examined in order to ensure the safety of the bottle in service. Little visible damage was found to the fibers in the FRP layer, even though a clear change in appearance was observed on the surface. With the official permit of the regulatory body, the bottles were put on a field test for a year. A partial peeling of the paint was observed in a limited area, but no damage was found on the fiber.