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Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
I am looking for some guidance on designing pressure vessels with brittle materials.

Ideally, I would prefer to get info on ceramics. I do realize, however, that is probably not going to be very straight forward. Alternatively, I can possibly use principles involved in pressure vessel design with concrete.

I am looking for the appropriate theories of failure to be used, dealing with fatigue associated with pressure cycles, best practises with FEA modeling of such materials and so on.

Maybe someone in nuclear/civil engineering fields help me out.  

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

htlyst;
Before venturing out on this type of journey, what are the design pressure and vessel contents?

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
metengr,

Good questions both.

Unfortunately, I do not have a big enough paycheck to be privy to this information. I am simply an errand boy for my boss on this. You will probably excuse me for the omission of this critical information.

We only have mechanical engineers here who have spent most of their careers in with designing metal parts or more specifically steel parts. So, this is particular task is a strange animal to everyone here.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Glass pressure vessels have been made and are in use. Suggest googling Chemglass.  

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

You would also want to check out the information on cast iron pressure vessels.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
Any books or standards for design guidelines?

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

I think it is important at this time in the discussion to point out that the failure theory of most pressure vessel codes assume ductile materials.

(See the Harvey text)

Any kind of "Brittle material design" involves very large safety factors and hence a large cost of materials.

Being an "errand boy" responsible for FEA analysis of what may be a dangerous or hazardous vessel and being purposefully kept in the dark tells me there there are MBAs that lurk about in your organization

My opinion only

-MJC

 

   

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
MJC,

Your post did not help at all.

It is my understanding that the application requires nonmetallic materials. I am aware of the limitations of concrete, ceramics etc. Hence, my query specifically requests for guidance or references on designing with *brittle materials*. It is right there in the subject.

I need to know which industry codes, guidelines or books I can use as an aid to design.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

What about a pressure vessel made of ductile metallic material but inside lined with non metallic material?

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

See ASME Section VIII, Division 1 for cast iron.  You will not find rules for FEA for pressure vessels made of brittle materials.

As MJCronin indicated, the Design Margins for Cast Iron approach 10, vs. 3.5 for ductile materials.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

you may want to look at glass lined or ceramic lined carbon steel vessels.

a vessel made of glass is an accident waiting to happen

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

htlyst,

I suggest that you might look into some heat exchangers which have phenolic-impregnated graphite components.  The closest thing to ceramic components that I am aware of is silicon carbide tubing used in heat exchangers with extremely corrosive fluids.  The only glass vessels I am familiar with are actually steel with glass linings.

I believe that most of these have something in common.  The graphite exchangers use an extremely low allowable stress value, since the materials have very poor tensile strength properties, but are better under compression.  They usually rely on more traditional materials for the shells. The ASME Code may have some guidelines available for these materials.

Regards,

Speco

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

htlyst

Are you really wanting a pressure vessel made from brittle materials or are you wanting one made of non-metallics?  There is a bit of a difference.
 

Patricia Lougheed

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RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
Small pressure vessel made out of either ceramics or concrete.
Either way, I am dealing with brittle, nonmetallic materials.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

There is research being done for deep sea robotic flotation vessel made of ceramic and folks are looking at ceramic composites for high temp/pressure for power plants.

as far as i know, everything is experimental prototypes for now and no one is building them commercially

I don't know if these research types will be willing to share their studies with anyone as i am sure they will be looking for patents to help pay for their research.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

I will bet my first son that you will not find any open literature on your topic.  I remember my materials course in 4th year which says there is no fatigue for brittle material.  It just let go.  I sure don't want to walk near your brittle vessel in operations.

If you need ceramic, or such brittle material, for a vessel it must be because of the process.  So, design a steel vessel and lined it with the ceramic or glass or whatever.  This is how glass lined vessels are built.

 

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

I have seen small (bench top) ceramic pressure vessels, they were over wrapped with multiple layers of carbon/epoxy composite.  Each component was designed for a SF of 10.
Serious temperature limits because of the epoxy, as I recall about 350F.
These replaced ones made of Pt.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Plymouth Tube

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
EdStainless,

We are considering sizes from 10" to 22" (ID). Can you elaborate about the ceramic vessels you mentioned?


 

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Glass lines (solid glass, not glass-lined steel)greater than 6" ID and operating at pressures greater than 15 psig do exist in the chemical industry, but are not designed in accordance with either ASME VIII or B31.3 to my knowledge.  You might wish to contact people such as QVF, Ace Glass, Buchi etc.

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Have you looked at Asbestos Cement Pipe with a working pressure of up to  200 psig at RT. This type pipe is sized to 24" dia.
I don't know about the newer types, both types prestressed and non-prestressed cement pipe.  

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

In the paintball world,  some of the tanks use a thin aluminum inner cladding with fiberglass or carbon fiber rapping.   I would consider neither of these brittle but is different than our standard steel vessel and may still fit your requirements.  I think what you are looking for by definition is extremely dangerous and doesn't make much since seeing as steel vessels can be clad against corrosion and there are other materials that are both light(which most brittle materials are not),strong and chemical resistant.  The sole purpose of mdmt's is to get away from brittleness. Just my $0.02

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Eluding to the post by vesselfab here is some information on ceramic pressure vessels in operation aboard the Nereus, HROV from Wood's Hole and the Univ of Hawaii. This paper has some names and references.  The work on these vessels was accomplished under a grant from the NSF  so more information should available.
There Nereus is unique in that it doesn't have a tether and is controlled from the surface by a torpedo wire.

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA499885&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Although ceramic and glass is used in chemical industry for similar reasons, nature of ceramic and glass is completely different. Pure glass by structure is hardest and strongest material on earth (theoretically). However, numerous invisible to human eye micro cracks makes it very britle and limits use as a structural material.
To give you an idea what danger it represents using glass a pressure vessel let's see the following example:
Have you ever drop glass bottle, cup, or any other container? Now imagine what would happend if all this would be under 500 psi pressure?  

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

Cladding steel with various materials  has been used for years to provide the appropriate corrosion resistance on the internal process and or external side of the vessel depending on the specific application and to get the higher strengths of PVQ's (pressure vessel quality steels) into the vessel structure. Clads can be anything from SS-exotic alloys, to glass, ceramic and polymers of various varieties. You might even wish to check out the new RFP vessels now being fabricated to ASME Code.

The advantage of using clad steels in pressure vessels is in the price reduction of the material used and in the Inspection & Maintenace Requirements and costs of normal steel vessels or full alloy vessels. But, this is all academic, so to speak, check in with the Alloy/Ceramic/Polymers Engineering Sections at Ohio State.    

RE: Pressure vessel from brittle materials

(OP)
Thanks, unclesyd. I was able to find many more from similar MIL sources.

"Transition-to-practice technologies for brittle materials", Generazio, Edward R., NASA Glenn Research Center.
URL: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19910010794_1991010794.pdf

"Ceramic External Pressure Housings for Deep Sea Vehicles", Dr. J.D. Stachiw, IEEE OCEANS 2006.
URL: http://www.whoi.edu/science/AOPE/people/gmcdonald/Ceramic%20External%20Pressure%20Housings%20for%20Deep%20Sea%20Vehicles.pdf

"Elastic Stability Considerations for Deep Submergence Ceramic Pressure Housings", R.R. Kurkchubasche, NCCOSC (Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, San Diego), 1993.
URL: http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA264824

"Stress Analysis Considerations for Deep Submergence Ceramic Pressure Housings", Richard P Johnson, NCCOSC, 1993.
URL: http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA262815

"NDE of ceramics and ceramic composites", Alex Vary, Stanley J. Klima, NASA.
URL: http://library.iit.edu/govdocs/micro/NAS_1_15_104520.pdf

"Contact Fatigue of a Silicon Carbide with a Heterogeneous Grain Structure", Nitin Padture and Brian R. Lawn, Journal of American Ceramics Society, 78 [6] 1431-1438 (1995).
URL: http://www.msel.nist.gov/lawn/Publications/Papers.BRL/PapersBRL.1995/JACS%2078%201431%201995.pdf
 

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