Importance

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Abstract

A hydropneumatic filament-wound pressure vessel is disclosed. The vessel has first and second cup-shaped tank liners having circular open mouths which are provided with a seal and diaphragm assembly. The seal assembly includes a pocket formed by an inner wall and shelf associated with the first liner and a ledge associated with the second liner. The shelf, ledge and cylindrical wall cooperate with an inner surface of the second liner to provide an O-ring pocket. An O-ring is provided in the pocket and the O-ring defines the periphery of a flexible diaphragm which divides the interior of the liners into separate pressure chambers. A continuous filament is wound over the surface of the liners in an isotensoid pattern. Each liner has a geodesic dome surface extending between a diameter of the liner and a polar opening. The dome surface is defined by oppositely curving surfaces of revolution of a meridia joined by an inflection point. The first surface of revolution curves from the liner diameter to a first point just unto but not at said inflection point. The second surface of revolution curves from the polar opening to a second point just unto but not at said inflection point in a direction opposite the curvature of the first surface of revolution. The first and second surfaces are joined, and the inflection point is traversed by a straight line third surface of revolution closely approximating geodesic curvature through the inflection point.

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First Claim