Originally Posted by
FlyJSH
Improper filling could weaken it. Then tanks are filled too quickly, they can heat up too much too fast. That can make the metal more brittle (or so I was told way back when I worked the ramp).
If you are filling something with a gas by pumping it in with a compressor that will heat it up, but when you fill an O2 bottle from a higher pressure bottle, the O2 coming in will be expanding and cooling off.
For those who questioned the bottle construction, the Australian safety report says it was one piece steel. See the link in Posrates post, page 16.
Joe