Section X establishes the requirements for the fabrication of fiber‐reinforced thermosetting plastic pressure vessels for general service, sets limitations on the permissible service conditions, and defines the types of vessels to which these rules are not applicable.

To ensure that vessels fabricated according to these rules will be capable of safely withstanding the operating conditions specified by the Design Specification, this Section:

• Gives minimum requirements for the materials of fabrication;
• Specifies test procedures for determining laminate mechanical properties;
• Defines three methods of design qualification:
  • Class I Design — nondestructive qualification test;
  • Class II Design — mandatory design rules and acceptance testing by nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods;
  • Class III Design — qualification of a vessel design through the destructive test of a prototype;
• Suggests nonmandatory design procedures for Class I vessels;
• Provides mandatory design procedures and acceptance testing for Class II vessels;
• Defines the general methods of fabrication which may be used;
• Limits the types of end closures, connections, and attachments which may be employed and the means used to join them to the vessels;
• Stipulates the procedures to be used in proving that prototype vessels will withstand specified operating and test conditions;
• Establishes rules under which fabricating procedures used for fabricating Class I and Class III prototype and production vessels are qualified, and defines what deviations from such procedures necessitate requalification;
• Sets forth requirements to ensure that no essential variation in qualified fabrication procedures has occurred;
• Establishes rules for acceptance testing, inspection, and reporting; and
• Gives requirements for stamping and marking.

For vessels fabricated in accordance with these rules, the provisions of Section X shall apply over any other sections of the Code. When metallic components are part of fiber‐reinforced plastic vessels, they shall meet the provisions of Section VIII, Division 1.

Careful application of this Section will help users to comply with applicable regulations within their jurisdictions, while achieving the operational, cost and safety benefits to be gained from the many industry best-practices detailed within these volumes.