Dynamic response and vibration modes of multi-layer wound cylindrical shell for hydrogen storage under external blast loading

Multi-layer wound cylindrical shells are the preferred structures for storage vessels working in high pressure and hydrogen atmosphere. However, they are susceptible to external blast loads from accidental hydrogen explosions. In order to study the response of such structures under external blast loading, a numerical model was developed, which combined a thermo-viscoplastic constitutive model and a fluid-structure coupling approach, and was subjected to external blast loads of different TNT equivalency weights. The strain responses and initial velocity fields of the structure were analyzed. A rigid-plastic theoretical model was also developed to calculate the maximum displacement of the inner shell and was compared with the simulation results. Moreover, the axial velocity vibration histories and dominant frequencies at different locations of the steel belts were numerically obtained. In addition, four vibration modes of the steel belts were presented in this paper. Furthermore, strain growth was observed in the high-frequency vibration area, and the possible reasons for the strain growth were analyzed and discussed in detail. The results will be useful for predicting the deformation modes of such multilayer wound cylindrical shell structures under the risk of external hydrogen explosions.