DIY Pressure test vessel?

[Stu S.]

Well divers, pressure vessel design is a discipline in enginering that typically requires a professional certificate. I used to be in the business. It is fun to send out ideas on how to do this sort of thing. Trying it yourself is risky.

If you were to construct such a device for another individual, and somebody got injured using it, it would be an expensive project, for sure. Does the home mechanic have an adequate way to test the strength and quality of materials? Do you have computer modeling tools to help design a safe product? Can you X-ray those welds?

These are a few of the necessary precautions that ensure product safety. We are lucky that dive equipment is so safe we forget how much energy compressed gasses represent.

Things fail that are designed by professoional engineers at major corporations. Can you do better?

Do yourself a favor and don't try.

Happy diving!

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

DIY is a life style almost and to those who love DIY stuff this pressure vessel is no more risky than building a oxygen booster or a transfill whip with hardware store fittings. Accidents happen and safety should always come first but since we dont have the proper engineering tools like commercial manufactures we must build things in the "overkill" fashion. Thus why I suggest 1" polycarbonate and 1/2 steel plate when I know that 3/16" steel of the right variety would do just fine and the 1/2" poly properly secured is plenty strong.

If you cant engineer properly you must over engineer for safety but dont say people should not do something because they cant Xray a weld or pull up a stress analysis on a computer (which I can do actually).

I dont want to start an argument I am just voicing an opinion.

 

[busylifemeto]

Any commercially manufactured pressure vessel that is still in certificate would be the safest way to go which is what I have done. The appropriate size safety valve a necessisty. However, I am not within cooee when testing anything, is done by remote control LOL