Patent ID: 6547092
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: F17C

Abstract:
A pressure vessel for containing a fluid at elevated pressure, the pressure vessel comprising:(a) a primary load-bearing container formed with at least one wall made of fiber-reinforced composite material including at least a first layer having a first reinforcing direction and a second layer having a second reinforcing direction non-parallel to said first reinforcing direction, the shape of said primary container and said reinforcing directions of said layers being configured such that, under variations in the pressure of the contained fluid within a given range, a strain of said wall in a first direction is at least one order of magnitude less than a corresponding strain in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction; (b) an unstressed corrugated metallic liner positioned adjacent to at least part of an inner surface of said wall and forming part of a hermetic seal within said primary container, said liner having corrugations extending substantially parallel to said first direction such that said liner conforms to deformation of said wall in said second direction; and (c) a filler layer of elastic material interposed between said liner and said wall so as to substantially fill raised portions of said corrugations.