Carbon Fiber tanks Weaknesses???

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Willie14228

Willie14228

Member
Jul 16, 2015
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TX, United States
As a bow shooter that uses carbon fiber arrows, I have always been taught that even a small nick in the arrow can cause disastrous failures. I will not post any pictures but it can be a gory scene with hands and arms being impaled with shards of the arrows. 
other than when I pretest my arrows before shooting I haven't ever had one fail on me however i have had some that have been nicked and be surprisingly easy to break in half at the damaged area.
What about these tanks just how much abuse can they take? Do I need to worry about heat from being in a trunk or sun?
has anyone ever heard of one failing?
 
Carbon fiber is one of the strongest materials there is (if made right). It has a significantly better strength to weight ratio than aluminum. 

Anything can fail but it's not going to be from leaving it out in the sun. CF tanks are rated for higher pressure because they are stronger than the metal tanks. They are also taken out of service after 15 years which further reduces the chance of issues. 

I haven't seen any stories about air gun tanks failing with proper use. I only ever read about two instances. One was a cheap Chinese import and the other was when some idiot decided to fill his air gun with pure oxygen which caused a small but quite upsetting explosion. 


 
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Treat any high pressure vessel with lots of respect. If you know your tank is going to be in the sun or a hot car, don't leave it there especially if it is near full pressure. You might come back to a blown burst disk. Heat is never your friend when it comes to high pressure vessels. Direct exposure to sun light can also cause UV damage to the outer coating and possible fiber damage over time. As far as carbon fiber wrap being stronger than aluminum tanks, I am going to have to question that on the very basic reason that DOT aluminum tanks are designed to not have a take out service date as long as they pass visual and hydro testing every 5 years. While carbon fiber wrap tanks at this time are still only granted a 15 year maximum lifetime service period. ( I understand they are trying to expand this time frame)
What is their weakness? They, like all pressure vessels insist on being treated with kind loving care and not be mistreated, or they might just blow up in your face when you least expect it. Always fill any high pressure vessel very slowly, whether it be CF, AL, or Steel. For one you will get a fuller fill, and less heat build up, based on good ole physics gas laws of PVT. As well as less stress on the material thus providing for a longer service life.

What's great about them? They are light weight and reliable if you follow some basic guidelines and take care of them.

hope this helps.
 
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Carbon fiber arrows are amazingly durable. I have hit backstops that the arrow didn't penetrate only to have the insert and tip push back into the shaft. Except other than the end splintering I didn't see any other damage. Aluminum arrows would have been destroyed completely. I don't think the tank and the arrow can be compared. 
One problem I ran into as far as tanks go is I had a Benjamin tank and the coating they put on the outside to make it look pretty splits and I could not get it filled. Even though the tank is a carbon fiber tank just coated with a plastic. The carbon fiber is just fine but the person filling it wasn't taking the chance which I couldn't blame him.Benjamin gave me my money back and I had to purchase a carbon fiber tank with no coating. 
 
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I just bought my first Air Venturi Carbon Tank & Fill Station. I have to say i'm pretty nervous about PCP in general, and will admit I feel wary when I fill my rifle from my tank. Also feel uneasy when transporting my tank to the nearest shop which is 30 mins. away. Not sure why, maybe just the thought of 4500 psi in a bottle and the potential for whatever. Hopefully in time I will become more comfortable from experience.

Besides some of the advice mentioned above what other precautions should i take when filling? Hopefully some tips will bring my mind at ease.
 
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The tank is not that delicate. Just treat it with respect, have it inspected when it needs to be and inspect it for damage regularly. I am hopeful that new testing regimens will become more readily available soon that will allow us to use these tanks for 30 years instead of 15. The military has shown that they are reliable for 30+ years with this new testing protocol. It is becoming more prevalent. Since I have my own compressor, I hope to use my great white tank for a long time, but I take good care of it.
 
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I was a paintball player for more than 25 years and have handled high pressure air tanks since they started to largely replace C02 as power source for the guns. Not only was I a player, but for five years I was a touring gun tech for a prominent gun manufacturer and several "pro" paintball teams. I also manufactured and sold parts for paintball guns for years as a side business. Through all of this (as a player I often played two days per week) I've probably seen and filled more 4500 psi bottles than 95% of people who come in contact with these high pressure vessels. While I heard of failures through the grapevine, I never was present when even a ratty, overused fill hose failed. Keep in mind that many of the players bringing me guns to repair at a tournament treated their gear as HARD USE equipment, consistent with the mindset that's developed when your gear is provided free (and we're talking about even 2k dollar ready to roll guns) and you simply can not be bothered with taking the time to baby it in a match. Other than intentional abuse, I can't imagine many scenarios where a pcp airgunner would render his carbon fiber tank unsafe if he (or she) just pays a minimal amount of attention to its care.
 
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