Failure Analysis of Three-Piece Steel Aerosol Cans

摘要

This paper explains how three-piece aerosol cans made from tin-plated steel are designed and manufactured, how they behave structurally, and provides information on doing failure analyses of aerosol cans. Particular emphasis is placed on the metallurgical aspects of the side-seam welding process used to create the body cylinders, the process of attaching the ends, and explains how three-piece aerosol cans made from tin-plated steel behave structurally. The paper also addresses a number of representations and conclusions presented in a paper by M. Fox and R. Hastings entitled "Pressurized 3-Piece Steel Container Explosions and Failure Mechanisms" published in the June 2003 issue of Practical Failure Analysis. Aerosol cans may fail, although not necessarily explode, by internal or external corrosion, by mechanical abuse (puncture, for example), or by being overheated. Understanding the design, manufacture, and structural behavior of these pressure vessels will aid in the formulation of conclusions as to the root causes of aerosol can failures.