A novel modeling and virtual testing method of hydrogen storage COPV considering stochastic wrinkle defects

Manufacturing imperfections lead to the uncertainty of safe performance of hydrogen storage composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs). The main objective of this research is to clarify the influence of stochastic wrinkles on the mechanical responses of hydrogen storage COPVs subject to the internal pressure. A novel modeling approach of macro-scale COPV introduced with meso-scale wrinkles is investigated for the finite element (FE) analysis. Where the wrinkles are considered as mathematical perturbations in the form of effective stiffness coefficients. Both wrinkle severity and spatial distribution are taking as the stochastic variables to estimate the defect-induced displacement responses. Multiple computations are conducted as virtual tests to obtained the statistical characteristics of displacement responses corresponding to wrinkle distribution variables. Numerical results indicate a more sensitive response characteristic of circumferential displacement under internal pressure. And the wrinkles distributed in dome part shows a more distinctive displacement distortion than that in cylindrical part.