Tensile Properties and Thermal Cycling Effects on Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Naval Ordnance Laboratory Rings for Composite Pressure Vessels

ABSTRACT The high‐pressure storage technique is of interest in hydrogen storage because of the high volumetric energy density and energy storage efficiency of hydrogen. The rapid hydrogen charging and discharging of high‐pressure hydrogen storage cause thermal cycling in composite pressure vessels due to the effect of Joule‐Thomson heating. This study investigates the tensile properties of basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) composite Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL) rings with the addition of graphene oxide (GO) at the weight fractions of 0%–0.5% (0–0.5 wt.% GO) and thermal cycling conditions from −40°C to 85°C. The tensile strength and modulus increased with GO content and reached the peak at 0.3% by 7% and 25%, respectively. Failure mode showed reduced interfacial debonding and increased fiber fracture with 0.3 wt.% GO by scanning electron microscopy. Thermal cycling induced degradation in tensile strength by 6%–16% after 250 cycles for 0.2–0.5 wt.% GO, while tensile modulus exhibited exponential degradation, fitted by an empirical model. The findings highlight the potential of GO in enhancing BFRP composites for a hydrogen storage vessel with balanced mechanical improvement and thermal stability.