In-Situ Monitoring of a Filament Wound Pressure Vessel by the MWCNT Sensor under Hydraulic Fatigue Cycling and Pressurization

As a result of the high specific strength/stiffness to mass ratio, filament wound composite pressure vessels are extensively used to contain gas or fluid under pressure. The ability to in-situ monitor the composite pressure vessels for possible damage is important for high-pressure medium storage industries. This paper describes an in-situ monitoring method to permanently monitor composite pressure vessels for their structural integrity. The sensor is made of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) that can be embedded in the composite skin of the pressure vessels. The sensing ability of the sensor is firstly evaluated in various mechanical tests, and in-situ monitoring experiments of a full-scale composite pressure vessel during hydraulic fatigue cycling and pressurization are performed. The monitoring results of the MWCNT sensor are compared with the strains measured by the strain gauges. The results show that the measured signal by the developed sensor matches the mechanical behavior of the composite laminates under various load conditions. In the hydraulic fatigue test, the relationship between the resistance and the strain is built, and could be used to quantitative monitor the filament wound pressure vessel. The bursting of the pressure vessel can be detected by the sharp increase of the MWCNT sensor resistance. Embedding the MWCNT sensor into the composite pressure vessel is successfully demonstrated as a promising method for structural health monitoring.