Finite element analysis and experimental validation of the failure characteristic of pressurized cylinder

Purpose The high-pressure accumulator has been widely used in the hydraulic system. Failure pressure prediction is crucial for the safe design and integrity assessment of the accumulators. The purpose of this study is to accurately predict the burst pressure and location for the accumulator shells due to internal pressure. Design/methodology/approach This study concentrates the non-linear finite element simulation procedure, which allows determination of the burst pressure and crack location using extensive plastic straining criterion. Meanwhile, the full-scale hydraulic burst test and the analytical solution are conducted for comparative analysis. Findings A good agreement between predicted and measured the burst pressure that was obtained, and the predicted failure point coincided very well with the fracture location of the actual shell very well. Meanwhile, the burst pressure of the shells increases with wall thickness, independent of the length. It can be said that the non-linear finite element method can be employed to predict the failure behavior of a cylindrical shell with sufficient accuracy. Originality/value This paper can provide a designer with additional insight into how the pressurized hollow cylinder might fail, and the failure pressure has been predicted accurately with a minimum error below 1%, comparing the numerical results with experimental data.