[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR178.58]

[Page 820-824]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
 CHAPTER I--RESEARCH AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 178_SPECIFICATIONS FOR PACKAGINGS--Table of Contents
 
                 Subpart C_Specifications for Cylinders
 
Sec.  178.58  Specification 4DA welded steel cylinders for aircraft use.

    (a) Type, size, and service pressure. A DOT 4DA is a welded steel 
sphere (two seamless hemispheres) or a circumferentially welded cylinder 
(two seamless drawn shells) with a water capacity not over 100 pounds 
and a service pressure of at least 500 but not over 900 psig.
    (b) Steel. Open-hearth or electric steel of uniform quality must be 
used. A heat of steel made under table 1 in this paragraph (b), check 
chemical analysis of which is slightly out of the specified range, is 
acceptable, if satisfactory in

[[Page 821]]

all other respects, provided the tolerances shown in table 2 in this 
paragraph (b) are not exceeded except as approved by the Associate 
Administrator. The following chemical analyses are authorized:

                      Table 1--Authorized Materials
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      4130                               Percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carbon.........................................  0.28/0.33.
Manganese......................................  0.40/0.60.
Phosphorus.....................................  0.040 max.
Sulfur.........................................  0.040 max.
Silicon........................................  0.15/0.35.
Chromium.......................................  0.80/1.10.
Molybdenum.....................................  0.15/0.25.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                       Table 2--Check Analysis Tolerances
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        Tolerance (percent) over
                                                                                          the maximum limit or
                                                                                         under the minimum limit
            Element                       Limit or maximum specified (percent)         -------------------------
                                                                                           Under         Over
                                                                                          minimum      maximum
                                                                                           limit        limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carbon.........................  Over 0.15 to 0.40 incl...............................          .03          .04
Manganese......................  To 0.60 incl.........................................          .03          .03
Phosphorus\1\..................  All ranges...........................................  ...........          .01
Sulphur........................  All ranges...........................................  ...........          .01
Silicon........................  To 0.30 incl.........................................          .02          .03
                                 Over 0.30 to 1.00 incl...............................          .05          .05
Chromium.......................  To 0.90 incl.........................................          .03          .03
                                 Over 0.90 to 2.10 incl...............................          .05          .05
Molybdenum.....................  To 0.20 incl.........................................          .01          .01
                                 Over 0.20 to 0.40, incl..............................          .02          .02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Rephosphorized steels not subject to check analysis for phosphorus.

    (c) Identification of material. Materials must be identified by any 
suitable method except that plates and billets for hot-drawn containers 
must be marked with the heat number.
    (d) Manufacture. Cylinders must be manufactured in accordance with 
the following requirements:
    (1) By best appliances and methods. No defect is acceptable that is 
likely to weaken the finished container appreciably. A reasonably smooth 
and uniform surface finish is required. No abrupt change in wall 
thickness is permitted. Welding procedures and operators must be 
qualified in accordance with CGA Pamphlet C-3 (incorporated by 
reference; see Sec.  171.7 of this subchapter).
    (2) All seams of the sphere or cylinders must be fusion welded. 
Seams must be of the butt or joggle butt type and means must be provided 
for accomplishing complete penetration of the joint.
    (e) Welding. Attachments to the container are authorized by fusion 
welding provided that such attachments are made of weldable steel, the 
carbon content of which may not exceed 0.25 percent except in the case 
of 4130 steel.
    (f) Wall thickness. The minimum wall thickness must be such that the 
wall stress at the minimum specified test pressure may not exceed 67 
percent of the minimum tensile strength of the steel as determined from 
the physical and burst tests required and may not be over 70,000 p.s.i. 
For any diameter container, the minimum wall thickness is 0.040 inch. 
Calculations must be made by the formulas in (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this 
section:
    (1) Calculation for a sphere must be made by the following formula:

S = PD / 4tE

Where:

S = wall stress in pounds psi;
P = test pressure prescribed for water jacket test, i.e., at least 2 
times service pressure, in psig;
D = outside diameter in inches;
t = minimum wall thickness in inches;
E = 0.85 (provides 85 percent weld efficiency factor which must be 
applied in the girth weld area and heat affected zones which

[[Page 822]]

zone must extend a distance of 6 times wall thickness from center line 
of weld);
E = 1.0 (for all other areas).

    (2) Calculation for a cylinder must be made by the following 
formula:

S = [P(1.3D 2 + 0.4d 2)] / (D 2 - d 
    2)

Where:

S = wall stress in pounds psi;
P = test pressure prescribed for water jacket test, i.e., at least 2 
times service pressure, in psig;
D = outside diameter in inches;
d = inside diameter in inches.

    (g) Heat treatment. The completed containers must be uniformly and 
properly heat-treated prior to tests. Heat-treatment of containers of 
the authorized analysis must be as follows:
    (1) All containers must be quenched by oil, or other suitable medium 
except as provided in paragraph (g)(4) of this section.
    (2) The steel temperature on quenching must be that recommended for 
the steel analysis, but may not exceed 1,750 [deg]F.
    (3) The steel must be tempered at the temperature most suitable for 
the analysis except that in no case shall the tempering temperature be 
less than 1,000 [deg]F.
    (4) The steel may be normalized at a temperature of 1,650 [deg]F 
instead of being quenched, and containers so normalized need not be 
tempered.
    (5) All cylinders, if water quenched or quenched with a liquid 
producing a cooling rate in excess of 80 percent of the cooling rate of 
water, must be inspected by the magnetic particle or dye penetrant 
method to detect the presence of quenching cracks. Any cylinder found to 
have a quench crack must be rejected and may not be requalified.
    (h) Openings in container. Openings in the container must comply 
with the following requirements:
    (1) Each opening in the container must be provided with a fitting, 
boss, or pad of weldable steel securely attached to the container by 
fusion welding.
    (2) Attachments to a fitting, boss, or pad must be adequate to 
prevent leakage. Threads must comply with the following:
    (i) Threads must be clean cut, even, without checks, and tapped to 
gauge.
    (ii) Taper threads to be of length not less than as specified for 
American Standard taper pipe threads.
    (iii) Straight threads, having at least 4 engaged threads, to have 
tight fit and calculated shear strength at least 10 times the test 
pressure of the container; gaskets required, adequate to prevent 
leakage.
    (i) Hydrostatic test. Each cylinder must successfully withstand a 
hydrostatic test as follows:
    (1) The test must be by water-jacket, or other suitable method, 
operated so as to obtain accurate data. The pressure gauge must permit 
reading to an accuracy of 1 percent. The expansion gauge must permit 
reading of total expansion to accuracy either of 1 percent or 0.1 cubic 
centimeter.
    (2) Pressure must be maintained for at least 30 seconds and 
sufficiently longer to ensure complete expansion. Any internal pressure 
applied after heat-treatment and previous to the official test may not 
exceed 90 percent of the test pressure. If, due to failure of the test 
apparatus, the test pressure cannot be maintained, the test may be 
repeated at a pressure increased by 10 percent or 100 psig, whichever is 
the lower.
    (3) Permanent volumetric expansion may not exceed 10 percent of 
total volumetric expansion at test pressure.
    (4) Each container must be tested to at least 2 times service 
pressure.
    (j) Burst test. One container taken at random out of 200 or less 
must be hydrostatically tested to destruction. The rupture pressure must 
be included as part of the inspector's report.
    (k) Flattening test. Spheres and cylinders must be subjected to a 
flattening test as follows:
    (1) Flattening test for spheres. One sphere taken at random out of 
each lot of 200 or less must be subjected to a flattening test as 
follows:
    (i) The test must be performed after the hydrostatic test.
    (ii) The test must be at the weld between the parallel steel plates 
on a press with a welded seam, at right angles to the plates. Any 
projecting appurtenances may be cut off (by mechanical means only) prior 
to crushing.
    (2) Flattening test for cylinders. One cylinder taken at random out 
of each

[[Page 823]]

lot of 200 or less, must be subjected to a flattening test as follows:
    (i) The test must be performed after the hydrostatic test.
    (ii) The test cylinder must be placed between wedge-shaped knife 
edges having a 60[deg] angle, rounded to a \1/2\-inch radius.
    (l) Radiographic inspection. Radiographic examinations is required 
on all welded joints which are subjected to internal pressure, except 
that at the discretion of the disinterested inspector, openings less 
than 25 percent of the sphere diameter need not be subjected to 
radiographic inspection. Evidence of any defects likely to seriously 
weaken the container must be cause for rejection.
    (m) Physical test and specimens for spheres and cylinders. Spheres 
and cylinders must be subjected to a physical test as follows:
    (1) A physical test for a sphere is required on 2 specimens cut from 
a flat representative sample plate of the same heat taken at random from 
the steel used to produce the sphere. This flat steel from which the 2 
specimens are to be cut must receive the same heat-treatment as the 
spheres themselves. Sample plates to be taken for each lot of 200 or 
less spheres.
    (2) Specimens for spheres have a gauge length of 2 inches with a 
width not over 1\1/2\ inches, or a gauge length at least 24 times 
thickness with a width not over 6 times thickness is authorized when 
wall of sphere is not over \3/16\ inch thick.
    (3) A physical test for cylinders is required on 2 specimens cut 
from 1 cylinder taken at random out of each lot of 200 or less.
    (4) Specimens for cylinder must conform to the following:
    (i) A gauge length of 8 inches with a width not over 1\1/2\ inches, 
a gauge length of 2 inches with a width not over 1\1/2\ inches, a gauge 
length at least 24 times thickness with a width not over 6 times 
thickness is authorized when a cylinder wall is not over \3/16\ inch 
thick.
    (ii) The specimen, exclusive of grip ends, may not be flattened. 
Grip ends may be flattened to within 1 inch of each end of the reduced 
section.
    (iii) Heating of a specimen for any purpose is not authorized.
    (5) The yield strength in tension must be the stress corresponding 
to a permanent strain of 0.2 percent of the gauge length. The following 
conditions apply:
    (i) The yield strength must be determined by either the ``offset'' 
method or the ``extension under load'' method as prescribed in ASTM E 8 
(incorporated by reference; see Sec.  171.7 of this subchapter).
    (ii) In using the ``extension under load'' method, the total strain 
(or ``extension under load'') corresponding to the stress at which the 
0.2 percent permanent strain occurs may be determined with sufficient 
accuracy by calculating the elastic extension of the gauge length under 
appropriate load and adding thereto 0.2 percent of the gauge length. 
Elastic extension calculations must be based on an elastic modulus of 
30,000,000. In the event of controversy, the entire stress-strain 
diagram must be plotted and the yield strength determined from the 0.2 
percent offset.
    (iii) For the purpose of strain measurement, the initial strain must 
be set while the specimen is under a stress of 12,000 psi and the strain 
indicator reading being set at the calculated corresponding strain.
    (iv) Cross-head speed of the testing machine may not exceed \1/8\ 
inch per minute during yield strength determination.
    (n) Acceptable results for physical, flattening, and burst tests. 
The following are acceptable results of the physical, flattening and 
burst test:
    (1) Elongation must be at least 20 percent for a 2-inch gauge length 
or 10 percent in other cases.
    (2) Flattening is required to 50 percent of the original outside 
diameter without cracking.
    (3) Burst pressure must be at least 3 times service pressure.
    (o) Rejected containers. Reheat-treatment of rejected cylinders is 
authorized. Subsequent thereto, containers must pass all prescribed 
tests to be acceptable. Repair of welded seams by welding prior to 
reheat-treatment is authorized.

[[Page 824]]

    (p) Marking. Markings on each container must be stamped plainly and 
permanently on a permanent attachment or on a metal nameplate 
permanently secured to the container by means other than soft solder.

[Amdt. 178-114, 61 FR 25942, May 23, 1996, as amended at 66 FR 45386, 
45388, Aug. 28, 2001;; 67 FR 51654, Aug. 8, 2002; 67 FR 61015, Sept. 27, 
2002]