Abstract
Some common portable aluminum gas cylinders have shown a liability to develop cracking after a period of time. This cracking has led to leaks and on occasions to violent failures of the cylinders. The cracks grow in regions of high stress concentration due to residual stresses and stress raisers resulting from manufacture. The paper discusses the Australian situation and strategies which are in place to reduce risk. There is a description of a cylinder which was removed from traffic because it leaked during filling. Information about what is known about crack growth rates is presented. Discussion is included of the current inspection strategy and how it could be improved. The alloy of construction of the cylinders was changed to 6061 in 1990 but there are cylinders in circulation which exhibit significant cracking in this alloy as well.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages | 337-343 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 1996 |
| Event | Proceedings of the 1996 8th International Conference on Pressure Vessel Technology, ICPVT-8. Part 2 (of 2) - Montreal, Can Duration: 21 Jul 1996 → 26 Jul 1996 |
Conference
| Conference | Proceedings of the 1996 8th International Conference on Pressure Vessel Technology, ICPVT-8. Part 2 (of 2) |
|---|---|
| City | Montreal, Can |
| Period | 21/07/96 → 26/07/96 |