Investigation on Dynamic Deformation and Damage of Steel Ribbon Wound Vessel for Hydrogen Storage Under Fragment Impact Loading

Steel ribbon wound vessels are a preferred type of hydrogen storage infrastructure in refueling stations. However, they may fail under the impact of fragments generated by nearby accidental explosions. This paper reports on dynamic deformation and damage of steel ribbon wound vessels impacted by blast fragment. Thermoviscoplastic constitutive relations were developed by conducting mechanical property tests on vessel materials (S31603 and HP345) across a range of strain rates from quasi-static to 2800 s⁻¹. Based on this, a numerical model incorporating thermoviscoplastic constitutive models was established for simulating the dynamic responses of steel ribbon wound vessels impacted by fragment. The model was validated by comparing the simulated results of crater diameters on vessel with the experimental results of high-speed fragment impact tests. The dynamic deformation and damage of vessels were analyzed from the aspects of impact process, structural strain, and energy evolution, etc. Results showed that: (1) under the same kinetic energy, the response of the vessel under heavier fragment impact could be divided into four stages: vessel depression, steel ribbons vibration, fragment separation from the vessel, and vessel rebound. With the decrease of the fragment mass, fragment was embedded in the steel ribbons, and the vibration of steel ribbons was gradually weakened; (2) heavier and low-velocity fragments caused depression and nearby steel ribbons warping deformation at the impact site, while lighter and high-velocity fragments caused penetration of steel ribbons at the impact site.