HIP explosion in the US
V The Monty byla publikována zpráva o explozi HIP ve firmě Kittyhawk”. Zkuste se podívat na to video ..
https://themonty.com/auto-draft-31/
A report was published in The Monty about a HIP explosion at Kittyhawk.” Try to watch that video….
Only once in my life have I had the opportunity to see the HIP operation in Bodycote Sint Niklaas in Belgium. I was impressed by the strict security measures there. When HIP was triggered, everyone had to leave the hall, horns were blaring, beacons were flashing. If I remember correctly, the main reason could have been a large argon leak if there was a leak somewhere. But nothing has been said about the flying cap of the HIP device, or cracks in the vessel.
In the USA, HIP equipment is manufactured by AIP (American Isostatic Pressing), KOBE in Japan, and in Europe by ESPI or Quintus. Each has a slightly different concept, but QUINTUS probably coped best with it.
- HIP from AIP, from ESPI at VŠB Ostrava and from Quintus in PIlsen
Essential to the construction of the HIP is the vessel and its cap. The service life of the vessel is tied to the calculation of fatigue strength with the aim of surviving 20,000 cycles. That’s about 20 years of life. The “leak-before-break” solution is preferred, which says that rather than bursting and leading to an explosion, it is better to release the pressure in the HIP gradually through the crack, without pieces of the vessel or cover flying around the hall.
The pressure vessel must be made according to strict standards. These are different in the US and in Europe.
- Příklad tlakové nádoby HIP od AIP a od ESPI
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/epsi-high-pressure_hip-epsi-hip-activity-7358380009876516864-F68Q/
Quintus chose a different solution. A high-strength steel wire is wound around the outer shell of the vessel under controlled tension, creating a permanent compressive (tensioning) stress in the shell. This compensates for the tensile stresses generated by the internal pressure of the HIP. A typical scenario for this solution is a controlled leak, not a catastrophic fracture.
As for the pressure vessel closure, a strength frame is usually used, into which the vessel with cover are inserted. The cover is mechanically locked by the structure – the pressure “itself” keeps it closed. This is the principle of Fail-safe behavior. As long as there is pressure, the cover cannot be physically opened. Cap failure tends to cause controlled leakage, not lid shooting.
Since no details have been published, it is not even known what type of HIP exploded, or which part of it failed. Only from the video can you see that the explosion completely destroyed the roof of the building. Even so, it is a disaster that will have an impact on everyone for HIP cars. Just like when an airplane crashes, the entire fleet is grounded until the cause is analyzed. This explosion in Kittywalk will probably have the same impact.
Jiří Stanislav
February 7, 2026
