SIDE-PORTED FILAMENT WOUND PRESSURE VESSELS In a method of making a filament-wound cylindrical pressure vessel (11) which has a relative large diameter port in its sidewall and which is capable of operating at an intemal pressure of about ISOpsig or above, a mandrel (23) of the desired diameter is rotated about its axis. After winding one over-all innermost layer, an annular reinforcement belt (16) is helically wound atop a defined region of desired axial length using a band (60) of resin-impregnated parallel strands (39) of filamentary material under tension. The annular reinforcement belt (16) is then itself helically over wound with the resin-impregnated parallel strands of filamentary material under tension to provide two essentially complete outer layers. After curing the layered construction on the mandrel, it is removed fi'om the mandrel. At least one aperture (71) is then cut in the sidewall within the reinforcement belt (16), and a side port fitting (75) of relatively large diameter is installed in the aperture (71).
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