The “Self-Rescue” Capacity of Wrapped Vessels—A Theoretical and Experimental Analysis

The highest risk of longitudinal welds in a wrapped multi-layer vessel is analyzed by assuming all internal lengthwise seams unwelded except for the inner most and the outer most layers. The friction behaviors between layers are investigated. The mechanical analysis is within the elastic domain. A formula is provided to estimate the lowest bursting strength of a wrapped vessel. Two small three-layer cylinders have been tested to verify the theory. A seven-layer bench-scale practical vessel has also been tested to show the application.