Low pressure explosion analysis and safety evaluation of a spherical gas-bottle made of titanium alloy

The explosion cause of a spherical gas-bottle made of titanium alloy at low pressure has been analyzed. The results show that the explosion was caused by brittle fracture. The high segregation of Al around the thread hole where the elemental ratio of Al and Ti is up to 1:3 resulted in explosion of the gas-bottle at low pressure. The compound in the segregation area is the brittle intermetallic Ti 3Al. Safety evaluation indicates that, in order to avoid explosion of the gas-bottle at the working pressure, the maximum size of the brittle inclusions should be 3 mm.