Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Line
I STRONGLY disagree that the only avenue of improving the potential safety issues around plastic pneumatics tanks is outlawing them. I would much rather see a numbers-driven problem solving method applied.
However, I can see vendors stepping away from supplying a 'safety' item like a sleeve since it becomes a question of liability if someone gets injured.
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You're doing it wrong. The question should not be "how do we make plastic storage tanks safe?" The question should be "how do we make safe, light, air storage tanks?" Because teams only use plastic storage tanks because they are lighter than commonly available metal tanks.
Here are some numbers:
Polypropylene: ~37MPa TS, 0.94g/cc density, 39MPa/(g/cc) strength:density ratio
304 Stainless Steel: 515MPA TS, 8.0g/cc density, 64MPa/(g/cc) strength:density ratio
The reason why teams use plastic tanks is because they are lighter than the stainless tanks from Clippard. Unfortunately, this low weight comes at the price of strength and durability. Stainless steel has a significantly higher strength:weight ratio than polypropylene.
Plastics tend to have brittle failure modes in dynamic situations, which is why they generate shrapnel, and why they are generally a terrible choice for pressurized gas applications. Not to mention their sensitivity to temperatures, certain chemicals, nicks/scratches/gouges, over-tightening, etc.