Dataset of Fatigue Testing on Type III CFRP Composite Pressure Vessels Using a Hydraulic Impulse Test Stand

This dataset contains raw experimental data from cyclic pressure testing of commercially available Type III CFRP composite pressure vessels with an aluminum liner, conducted on a hydraulic impulse test stand. The investigated vessels feature a multi-layer fiber-reinforced overwrap (CFRP and GFRP) and were instrumented with strain gauges (axial – 0° and circumferential – 90°), a Type K thermocouple, and a pressure sensor to capture the structural response under cyclic loading.

Tests were performed in a pressure range between 5 and 45 MPa at a constant frequency of 5 Hz. All sensor signals were recorded at a sampling rate of 600 Hz without any post-processing or filtering, providing fully raw measurement data. To accommodate the test setup, the internal volume of the vessels was reduced using steel displacement bodies.

A total of eight experiments were conducted, resulting in fatigue lives between 22,678 and 41,295 cycles until failure. The vessels exhibited a consistent leak-before-break behavior, with failure detected by a pressure drop due to leakage. Post-test analysis revealed crack initiation in the aluminum liner as the primary failure mechanism, followed by progressive damage in the surrounding CFRP layers and local fluid permeation through the composite structure. No catastrophic fragmentation was observed.

The dataset provides high-resolution, multi-sensor time series data suitable for fatigue analysis, structural health monitoring, and validation of numerical models for composite pressure vessels under cyclic loading.

Overview

Test
Date
File
Cycles
Notes

1
13.01.2026
test_1
22678

2
14.01.2026
test_2
24423

3
15.01.2026
test_3
27434
Strain Gauge 2 has come loose

4
16.01.2026
test_4
27595

5
26.01.2026
test_5
27303

6
27.01.2026
test_6
34523

7
27.01.2026
test_7
41295

8
28.01.2026
test_8
32250

9
19.03.2026
test_9
25998
Stopped after 10000 cyles and restartet after cooling down