Many thanks to all the pressure vessel experts who have been kind enough to reply and contribute to my question.Judging from the diverse range of replies it seems that we have not bottomed this one out yet.It seems to me that the questions I have posed in the first part of my note are valid...
What is the real reason for the hydrostatic testing of pressure vessels used in industry. Is it:
1)To Validate the design calculations?
2) To ensure that there is sufficient safety margin in the design?
3)To redistribute the stresses induced into the vessel/structure during the manufacturing...
