Numerical Determination and Experimental Validation of a Technological Specimen Representative of High-Pressure Hydrogen Storage Vessels

A technological specimen representative of type IV high-pressure hydrogen storage vessels is developed. An analytical model is used to compute fiber orientations in the specimen in order to be as representative as possible of the stress level reached in a tank during pressurization. A three-dimensional finite-element model is used to determine the best stacking sequence with these fiber orientations. A validation is done by performing tests with digital image correlation in order to measure displacements on the lateral side of the specimen. A comparison between the calculated and experimentally found strain fields is made. The results obtained highlight the influence of stacking sequence on the development of damage and the difficulty arising in designing representative specimens.