Results of an experimental test program are presented to determine the bursting strength of polyethylene terephthalate film and fabric cylinders containing axial silts of various lengths. The results demonstrate that the fabric material is superior to the film material as regards residual strength in the presence of a slit. It is shown that the strength-weight ratio of the fabric cylinders is approximately twice that of the film cylinders, largely due to the strength advantage of fiber over film. The results are compared with the predicted bursting strength obtained from two different semiempirical analyses, one based on notch strength analysis and the other employing fracture mechanics concepts. The comparison demonstrates that large errors can result from the application of the notch-strength analysis yields a scatter band which is consistent with the data scatter and follows the trend of the data. / Master of Science