Air Tank...undersized?

I built an air tank but used one of the worst possible cross section; 2"x6"x1/8" of tube steel. Main reason for selecting that shape was that I wanted something with a low enough profile to easily fit under the tub.

I tried pumping 145 psi of air into it today and 2 sides bulged. Should I be concerned with the tank tearing open? or is the tank more stable now in this deformed shape?

 

#1 yes #2 no!!

 

Square tubing is not made to hold pressure, you want something round. And the ends need to be ball shaped, not flat

Have you ever seen a square egg.

Andrew
the compressor guy

 

175lbs here with my OBA set-up.but I went with a 1 gal Viar tank , $40 at ORW.

 

darn, I was trying to get away with it...i just like how the rectangular tube tucks nicely. I wonder how thick the wall has to be to overcome the pressure.. ??

 

I don't know, but you're pretty brave for trying. Pretty much sitting on a shrapnel grenade when it gives way.

 

I doubt 150lbs is enough to throw any metal... Maybe just a loud crack!

 

Still would not want to play with it.

 

get some THICK plexiglass.
get behind it.
and see what she can hold.
be sure and film it.
we could make bets and everything!

 

If you got room for a 2x6 tube you should have plenty of room for a 2 1/2 npt black iron pipe.

 

I got a little story for ya, kind of long but Ill make it short.

A few years ago I was in the emergency room because my middle finger became temporarily detached from my body.
Well the dude next door to me was in a little worse way he had been filling up a home made air tank for a paintball cannon thing and it blew up and shattered his cheek bone.

The thing was pretty well made (don’t know why it was in the emergency room with him) TIG welded and of heavy wall pipe about 2.5" in diameter and about 12" long one end was blown right out.

I think you could find something for sale that would suit your needs.

 

Un-timed/unplanned explosions are bad. For a reasonable price you can buy a tested certified air tank designed to do what you are trying to do. It's not worth risking life and limb ( yours or that of an innocent by stander ) just to save 40 or 50 bucks. Just my .02

 

I knew someone who had a shop air tank fail. It peeled open and turned itself inside out. It took out his work bench and shop wall. Tools went EVERYWHERE. Fortunately no one was in the shop at the time or they would have no doubt been killed.

 

i have a small medical oxygen bottle.(the kind on a little cart)
i wonder if that would work?

 

hey double r
pipe or tube, whether round , square or rectangle have seams that share the same welding process, so the seam strength should'nt be of concern. however the round design would be superior simply because the force exerted on the walls are constant, where the force on the walls of the square or rectangle tube vary due to the varying length of flat section. based on the pressure required you could probably use a square or rectangle shape if you went to a thicker wall. i don't see in all the writing any mention of a release valve! that would be a critical component of any pressure tank.

 

Surely you jest? 150psi is plenty enough to kill a person. There are copious examples of overinflated tires killing people or causing severe damage:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/truck_driver_from_adams_killed.html

http://www.kfsm.com/news/kfsm-news-spare-tire-explosion,0,2185988.story

If a tire can kill why couldn't something that is essentially an air-powered pipe bomb?

 

More evidence of the damage of a tank exploding at 150psi: http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=328989

 

I had a 200 psi release valve upstream...