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International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping 84 (2007) 451459

www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpvp

Determination of burst pressures and failure locations of

vehicle LPG cylinders
A. Kaptan, Y. Kisioglu
Department of Mechanical Education, Kocaeli University, Umuttepe, 41380 Kocaeli, Turkey
Received 8 July 2006; received in revised form 9 February 2007; accepted 21 February 2007

Abstract
This study addresses the determination of the burst pressures (BP) and burst failure locations of vehicle liqueed petroleum gas (LPG)
fuel tanks using both experimental and nite element analysis (FEA). The experimental burst test investigations were carried out by
hydrostatic test in which the cylinders were internally pressurized with water. Two nonlinear FEA models, plane and shell, were
developed and evaluated under non-uniform and axisymmetric boundary conditions. The required drawn shell properties including weld
zone and shell thickness variations were investigated. The FEA BP and the burst failure locations are compared to the experimental ones.
The permanent volume expansions of the LPG tanks due to internal pressure were also examined based on the code regulations.
r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Burst pressures; Failure locations; Vehicle LPG cylinder; Nonlinear failure analysis; Non-uniform FEA model

1. Introduction
Liqueed petroleum gas (LPG) is commonly used as an
alternative fuel for internal combustions engines of vehicles
in Turkey and Europe. The LPG is stored and transported
based on Turkish Standard Institute (TS) and Economic
Commission for Europe Regulation (ECE-R). In order to
store LPG in vehicles, the LPG cylinders known as LPG
fuel tanks are commonly used and approved by these
regulations. About 75,000 of these tanks are designed and
manufactured annually, in Turkey, based on ECE-R67 in
Europe [1] and TS 12095 in Turkey [2]. The LPG tanks,
low-pressure cylinders since their service pressure is lower
than 3.44 MPa (500 psi) [3], can be commercially lled and
used in the automobile industry. They are equipped with a
rellable two-way hermetic valve, are produced as LPG
containers and used in vehicles having water capacities
ranging from 35 to 80 l.
The primary aim of this study is to determine the burst
pressures (BP) and the failure locations of LPG cylinders
whose service pressure (SP) and test pressures (TP) are
Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 262 303 2278; fax: +90 262 303 2203.

E-mail address: ykisioglu@kou.edu.tr (Y. Kisioglu).

0308-0161/$ - see front matter r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijpvp.2007.02.004

known by the denitions of the ECE-R67 and TS 12095

rules. The SP is the working (operating) pressure where the
cylinders are lled and used in industrial applications. The
TP is a given pressure that is applied and released after
which the permanent volume expansion of the cylinder
must not exceed 10% of the initial measured volume [3].
Finally, the BP is the maximum pressure a cylindrical tank
can withstand without bursting.
In case of instability of cylindrical shells, analytical
formulations are available for ideal shells with perfect
geometry and specic boundary conditions [46]. These do
not take into account the strain distribution, and nonhomogeneous nonlinear material properties and geometrical imperfections including thickness variations in the
cylinder shell material. Kisioglu et al. [3] studied and
determined the BP and failure locations for refrigerant
cylinders using both experimental and FEA approaches.
The prediction of the BP in lament wound composite
vessels was studied using neural network acoustic emission
testing by Hill et al. [7], and using the nite element method
by Sun et al. [8]. The BP of a vessel was estimated after a
single application of internal pressure using mathematical
and experimental models for tensile loading by Updike and
Kalnins [9]. The bursting of a large silo on a farm was

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452

performed experimentally by lling up the silo repeatedly

over several months by Keiselbach [10]. Aksoley studied
experimentally picnic-type portable LPG cylinders used in
home applications to identify the test parameters [11]. The
elimination of refrigerant cylinder instabilities by designing
an optimum head are also studied by Kisioglu et al. [12]
using both experimental and numerical approaches. No
similar body of knowledge appears to be available in the
current literature for the BP and the failure locations for
LPG fuel tanks.
The purpose of this work is to investigate the BP and
failure locations of LPG fuel tanks using both experimental
burst tests and FEA. To predict the BP and the failure
location using computer modeling, the actual shell and
weld zone material properties (MPs) including thickness
variations are investigated from the LPG tanks. These
properties are used in the FEA to approximate the BP
values obtained experimentally. Two different types of
two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear FEA models, plane
and shell, are developed under axisymmetric boundary
conditions.
2. Design of LPG cylinders
Guidelines for the design of cylindrical shells can be
found in many international codes such as BS-5500 (British
Standard) and the ASME codes (Section VIII, Division 1)
[3]. These rules are restricted mostly to the load carrying
capacity under internal pressure. However, these LPG
cylinders are designed and manufactured according to the
restrictions of the ECE-R67 and TS 12095 codes,
Table 1
The cylindrical LPG fuel tank specications

considering the SP and TP of the LPG cylinders. Based

on the regulations, the minimum BP is 9/4 times the TP,
which is set at between 1.2 and 2 times the SP [1,2]. The
pressure specications of the most commonly manufactured cylinders of 310-mm inner diameter used in industrial
applications are given as an example in Table 1. These
cylinders are equipped with a valve system and a label
welded to the shell body, as shown in Fig. 1.
Cylindrical LPG tanks are usually manufactured within
four different groups, which are classied by their water
capacities: 35, 45, 60, and 80 l. Each group of cylinders has
a different wall thickness ranging from 2 to 3 mm. In the
present study, the BP and failure locations of the most
commonly used three groups (35, 60, and 80 l) of
cylindrical LPG tanks having 2.5 mm wall thickness are
investigated. These tanks consist of three main parts: one
cylindrical shell and two torispherical end closures as
shown in Fig. 1. The cylindrical shell is folded up and
welded longitudinally and the two torispherical drawn end
closures are welded circumferentially at the ends of the
shell (see Fig. 1). Also in the gure, some design parameters
are shown such as inner diameter (ID), minimum wall
thickness (t), knuckle radius (Rk), crown radius (Rc), and
length of the cylindrical shell (L).
The LPG tanks are constructed from Erdemir-6842 steel
using the welding process for the shell body and the deep
drawing process for the end closures. The Erdemir-6842 is
a hot rolled steel with 0.18% carbon content and is a
ductile material suitable for the cold forming process used
to construct the LPG tanks. The deep drawing process
changes the material properties (MPs) and thickness
variations. After completing all manufacturing and welding
processes, these tank have been subjected to a heat
treatment process before service.

Cylinder
ID (mm)

Wall
thickness, t
(mm)

Service
pressure
(MPa)

Test
pressure
(MPa)

Water
capacity
(l)

3. The experimental burst tests

310

23

1.75

3.00

3580

The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 2, with testing at

room temperature. The cylinder specimens, randomly

Fig. 1. The vehicle LPG fuel tank and its design parameters.

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Fig. 2. (a) The experimental setup and equipment, (b) the burst cylinders.

Fig. 3. The BP results of three groups of LPG tanks.

selected from the manufacturing stacks, were completely

lled with water, and the pressure was controlled by means
of a single-acting hydraulic pump. The tanks were placed
horizontally during the experiments and air was vented
during lling as seen in Fig. 2(a).
For the burst experiments, 64 35, 62 60, and 51 80 l
cylinders having an ID of 310 mm and an approximate wall
thickness of 2.5 mm were randomly selected. A group of
burst cylinders; one from each group is shown in Fig. 2(b).
The BP distribution of the 177 tanks is shown as a function
of test frequency in Fig. 3. The wall thickness was variable
due to the thickness tolerances for the blank sheet. As can
be seen from the gure, the BP ranged from a minimum of
7.40 MPa to a maximum of 9.36 MPa. The mean BP values
obtained are about 7.76, 8.52, 9.07 MPa for the LPG tank
groups, 35, 60, 80 l, respectively.
4. Computer-aided FEA modeling
The FEA were carried out using the ANSYS nite element
computer code to predict the BP and the failure location for
each type of LPG cylinder. Two different non-linear FEA

models, plane and shell, were developed using 2D axisymmetric nite plane and shell elements, respectively. To create
these FEA models and simulate the experimental burst tests,
rst shell MPs and thickness variations due to the
manufacturing processes of the LPG tanks were investigated
to provide input to the computer modeling process.
Additionally, after selecting the loading and boundary
conditions and appropriate nite elements, the nonlinear
axisymmetric 2D FEA models are generated and simulated
in non-uniform and non-homogeneous conditions.
4.1. Investigation of material properties
The LPG tank is divided into three regions, shell, weld,
and end-closure, as seen in Fig. 1. From each region, tensile
test specimens AE were cut out in the directions shown in
Fig. 4, and the corresponding engineering stressstrain
(ESS) data were obtained. These ESS data are converted
using well-known equations [13] to give the true stress
strain (TSS) data, as shown in Fig. 4.
Tensile test specimens were cut from both the cylindrical
shell and the torispherical end in both the longitudinal and

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Fig. 4. Orientations of tensile test specimens and their true stressstrain curves.

circumferential directions about the principal axis. The

material strength of the cylindrical shell in the longitudinal
direction (specimen C) due to rolling was higher than in the
circumferential direction (specimen B) (Fig. 4). As the hoop
stress is about twice the longitudinal stress [5,6], the data
obtained from the specimens tested in the circumferential
direction (specimen B) are considered in the analyses. On
the other hand, the MPs in the spherical (crown) region
including most of the knuckle region exhibit almost the
same characteristics in all directions (specimens D and E).
To investigate the weld zone properties, a few tensile test
specimens were taken from the welded region of the
assembled cylinders. Tensile specimens were cut out
longitudinally about the weld line shown with specimen
A in Fig. 4. The MPs of these regions are represented by
their true stressstrain data converted from corresponding
ESS data as illustrated in Fig. 4.
The mechanical properties of the tank materials can be
dened considering the tensile test data (ESS data) as seen
in Table 2. For the plastic region of the TSS curve (Fig. 4),
the relationship between true stress (st) and true strain (et)
can be dened as st Knt , where K and n are the strain
hardening coefcient and the strain hardening exponent,
respectively [13,14]. The constant K can be obtained by
extending the plastic stressstrain line until it intersects an
ordinate through t 1 (log t 0). The height of this
ordinate is (log K). The n value can then be specied for the
tank materials using the values in Table 2.
4.2. Thickness variation
The shell thickness variation was investigated both
point-by-point and by-sliding a micrometer with a
precision of 0.001 mm on the surface of the full cross

Table 2
Mechanical properties of the cylindrical LPG fuel tanks
Tensile
Elasticlik
specimens modulus
(GPa)

Yield
strength
(MPa)

Tensile
strength
(MPa)

Tensile
strain
(%)

Elongation
(%)

A
B
E

310
194
355

495
477
484

14
18.2
23.3

18.42
28
13.21

104
18.5
9.44

Fig. 5. Thickness variation of the drawn cylindrical shell.

section, Fig. 1. The measured thickness was very close to

the nominal thickness of Erdemir 6842 steel-sheet between
points a and c except in the weld zone. In fact, the
Erdemir 6842 steel is manufactured within the same
tolerances of the sheet thickness as well. However, four
slightly different thicknesses were measured between points
c and d (see Fig. 1).
The thickness variation of the cylindrical LPG tank is
shown as a function of shell regions in Fig. 5. As can be
seen, the wall thickness is altered mostly in both knuckle
and crown regions of the end closure. It was also observed
that the maximum thickness change of about 20%
occurred in the knuckle region, and the minimum
thickness change of about 5% occurred in both ange

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and top of the crown regions (Fig. 5). On the other hand,
the weld deposits are generally formed quite uniformly.
The average value of the nominal weld zone dimension
measured was about 6.35 mm.
4.3. Development of the non-uniform non-homogeneous
model
The non-uniform FEA model is constructed using the
thickness variation (see Fig. 5) applied to relevant zones as
illustrated in Fig. 6(a). To apply non-uniform wall
thickness concepts in the modeling process, the wedge
function procedure [3] is applied. In addition, different
MPs are applied non homogeneously to relevant regions to
create the non-homogeneous FEA model as shown in
Fig. 6(b). Therefore, the non-homogenous model consists
of three different types of MPs, shell, weld, and end closure
(see in Fig. 4) which are applied to both plane and shell
FEA models in Fig. 6.
4.4. FEA modeling using axisymmetry
The LPG cylinders considered here are axisymmetric
with respect to the main axis of the cylinder geometry and
with respect to the applied load. The 2D axisymmetric
FEA model was developed by using quarter symmetry
without the valve slot. Initially, it was assumed that the
valve hole located at the cylinder body has no effect on the
BP values and the failure locations.
In the 2D shell model, the mid-surface of the wall
thickness is considered to create the LPG tank geometry as
shown in Fig. 6(a). Preliminary investigations were carried
out to select the most suitable shell element from the
ANSYS element library, and the SHELL51 element was
used. This element has two nodes and four degrees of
freedom at each node; three nodal translations are in the

455

x-, y- and z-axis and one nodal rotation is about the z-axis
[15]. In contrast, to create the 2D plane model, the LPG
cylinder is generated as a full section of the tank using its
quarter axisymmetry. A suitable 2D plane element,
PLANE2, is selected to create the computer-aided LPG
tank model. This element has six nodes and two degrees of
freedom at each node, which are nodal translations in the x
and y-axis [15].
4.5. Selection of axisymmetric boundary and loading
conditions
To determine the BP, the internal pressure is applied
incrementally and linearly increased by 0.1 MPa per step.
The loading increment is applied as a function of a nominal
loading time and gradually increased up to the step (point
a) as shown in Fig. 7. When the loading reaches that
point, a bifurcation state takes place and then the loading
increment is decreased to the step (point b), where the
cylinder is burst as illustrated in Fig. 7. The point b
represents burst of the LPG tanks. In addition, axisymmetric boundary conditions were applied on the x- and
y-axis of the FEA model as shown in Fig. 8(a).
4.6. Burst failure analysis and failure locations
Several methods are available to determine the BP and
the failure location from the FEA simulations beside the
loading conditions explained above. One way is that the
structural behavior of the cylinder can be plotted as a
function of time to determine the BP. To illustrate this,
some nodes are selected from critical places of the model as
seen in Fig. 8(b). These critical places were represented with
nodes including N1, N146, N1660, and N3010. The nodal
deections for the selected points of the plane model are
plotted as a function of loading increment in both x- and

Fig. 6. (a) Non-uniform (shell) and (b) non-homogeneous (plane) FEA models.

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Fig. 7. Loading conditions and max displacements of the entire model.

Fig. 8. (a) FEA model and boundary conditions, (b) the burst location and selected nodes (35 l).

y-directions, in Fig. 9. It is evident, the nodal displacements

change suddenly from 3.02-mm (point a) to 34.82 mm
(point b) as the pressure approaches the BP. In addition, to
determine the BP, it was noted that the stress values
reduced suddenly especially at the burst point and
ultimately the FEA does not converge.
Another way to analyze the burst failure is to examine
the nonlinear equivalent plastic strain results. The nonlinear equivalent plastic strain is compared to the cylinder
material property. The maximum total equivalent (von
Mises) strain is obtained as about 0.241865 at the instant of

burst, and this is higher than the given strain of the shell
material which was about 0.24, in Fig. 4. The burst failure
can also be predicted from the maximum displacement of
the model as illustrated in Fig. 7. The maximum displacement shown with the curve Max Disp, is reached at
point d after the burst (point b) as seen in Fig. 7.
The burst location of the LPG cylinders is well known
from the experimental burst tests (see Fig. 2(b)). Burst
fracture occurs at the middle point of the cylindrical shell
at point a as shown in Fig. 1. This point dened as the
burst failure location of the LPG fuel tanks is also shown

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Fig. 9. Nodal deection of selected nodes of the LPG tanks.

Fig. 10. (a) The permanent volume expansions and (b) the measurement distributions.

by the node number N1 of the FEA model in Fig. 8(b).

In the experimental studies, the cylinder specimens
fractured in such a way that the burst crack continues
longitudinally as illustrated in Figs. 2(b) and 8(b).
5. Permanent volume expansions
When the tanks are pressurized hydrostatically, they
balloon permanently in both the x- and y- directions as
seen in Fig. 10(a). The permanent volume expansions of the
LPG fuel tanks are measured from both the experimental
tests and the FEA simulations, to verify the computer
modeling and comply with code denitions. Based on the
regulations [1,2], the permanent volume expansions of

these tanks before burst must exceed 20% of the initial

volume. The magnitudes of the circumferential and longitudinal expansions are shown with a and b,
respectively, in Fig. 10(a). The magnitudes of a are
obtained from FEA simulations as about 34.05 and
38.62 mm for the 35 and 60 l tanks (see Fig. 8(b) for 35 l
tank), respectively. Similarly, the magnitudes of b are
obtained as 18.14 and 18.69 mm for the 35 and 60 l,
respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 10.
The magnitudes of a and b shown in Fig. 10(a) are
also measured manually from the LPG tanks after burst
experiments. For the measurement process, 15 LPG tanks
each of 35 and 60 l are measured before and after the burst
tests to obtain the expansions. Half the magnitudes of the

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measurements in both a and b directions are taken

into account to compare the results obtained with the FEA
simulations. Distributions of the experimental measurements of the volume expansion in both directions of 35 and
60 l LPG tanks are shown in Fig. 10(b). Based on these
measurements, the permanent volume expansions were
exceeded about 24% of the initial volume of the tanks that
comply with the code requirements.
6. The BP results
The BP values are obtained for three groups of
cylindrical LPG tanks having constant wall thickness.
The results obtained from the FEA simulations are
compared with corresponding experimental values in
Table 3. The BP results from the simulations are very
close to the experimental results. The BP values of LPG
tanks having variable wall thickness are also investigated
using the same FEA modeling processes. These BP results
are plotted as a function of the nominal wall thickness (t)
of the LPG fuel tanks, in Fig. 11. The gure has three
curves representing the BP values of three LPG tank
groups with the name of the group as: 35, 60 and 80 l. The
experimental BP values are also placed in this gure with
the legend of Experm, to compare with the FEA results.
Not only were the BPs of the LPG cylinders obtained from

35
60
80

7. Conclusions
A series of thin-walled cylindrical LGP fuel tanks under
internal pressure, to determine the BP and burst failure
location, was studied using both experimental and computer-aided FEA approaches. The FEA models use 2D
axisymmetric elements and simulate non-uniform geometry
and non-homogeneous material property conditions in a
nonlinear eld. Based on the generated results, good
agreement between the measured BP in the experiments
and the corresponding non-linear axisymmetric FEA
model values was found for all of the tank models (see
Table 3 and Fig. 11). Good experimental and FEA
simulation agreement was also found for the burst failure
location of the LPG tanks when considering non-uniform
non-homogeneous axisymmetric FEA modeling conditions. In addition, the permanent volume expansion
measurements obtained from both experiments and simulations veried each other as shown in Fig. 10 and
complied with the code denitions.

Acknowledgments

Table 3
The BP results of the cylindrical LPG tanks
Tank capacity
(1)

the axisymmetric FEA modeling process, but the burst

failure locations were found and coordinated with the
experimental results.

Nominal
thickness
(mm)

Burst pressures
Experimentals
(MPa)

FEA modeling
(MPa)

2.50
2.50
2.50

9.07
8.52
7.72

9.68
8.57
7.94

The authors thank Karadeniz Tupgaz (Samcelik) Co. in

Ordu, Turkey, for their nancial and R&D facilities
supports to perform these tests and prepare this material.
Special appreciation is expressed to Umit Pekdemir,
Engineering and Manufacturing Director. However, any
opinions, ndings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reect the views of the Manufacturer.

Fig. 11. The burst pressures of the cylindrical LPG fuel tanks.

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