Buckling analysis of thin-walled metal liner of cylindrical composite overwrapped pressure vessels with depressions after autofrettage processing

Abstract The cylindrical filament wound composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) with metal liner has been widely used in spaceflight due to their high strength and low weight. After the autofrettage process, the plastic deformation of the metal liner is constrained by composite winding layers, which introduce depressions to the metal liner that causes local buckling. To predict the local buckling of the inner liner with depressions of the pressure vessel after the autofrettage process, a local buckling analysis method for the metal liner of COPV was developed in this article. The finite element method is used to calculate the overall stress distribution in the pressure vessel before and after the autofrettage process, and the influence of local depressions on the buckling is evaluated. The axial buckling of the pressure vessel under external pressure is analyzed. The control equation of the metal liner with depressions is developed, considering the changes in the pressure and the bending moment of the liner depressions and its vicinity during the loading and unloading process. Taking the cylindrical COPV (38 L) with aluminum alloy liner as an example, the effects of liner thickness, liner radius, the thickness-to-diameter ratio, autofrettage pressure, and the length of straight section on the autofrettage process are discussed. The results show that the thickness of the inner liner has the most significant influence on the buckling of the liner, followed by the length of the straight section and the radius of the inner liner, while the autofrettage pressure has the least influence.