AU653343B2

AU653343B2 - Composite pressure vessel module

Info

Publication number: AU653343B2
Application number: AU77146/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Frank Erdmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-05-18
Filing date: 1990-05-18
Publication date: 1994-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2011-05-20
Also published as: AU7714691A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 653343 i

C..

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

NOTICE

1. The specification should describe the invention in full and the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

2. The specification should be typed on as many sheets of good quality A4 International size paper as are necessary and inserted inside this form.

3. The claims defining the invention must start on a new page. f there is insufficient space on this form for the claims, use separate sheets of paper.

The words "The claims defining the invention are as follows" should appear before claim 1. After the claims date and the name of the applicant should appear in block letters.

4. This form must be accompanied by a true and exact copy of the description, claims and drawings (if any) and an additional copy of the claims.

(see Pamphlets explaining formal requirements of specifications and drawings) a TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT SN am e of A pplicant: j E .D A A Actual Inventor(s): F Address for Service: C/ t Invention Title: .r nvention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos: O The following statement is a full description of this Invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSEL MODULE This invention relates to a new way of containing gas and /or liquid unaer pressure such as, for instance, in a fuel tank or in a compressed air reservoir on a truck.

Conventional pressure vessels can best be compared to balloons. They are usually round o** in cross-section and their walls take all the pressure by being loaded in tension. Because the forces acting on the walls increase with O10 the volume cubed, the walls may have to become quite thick and heavy. They usually waste space and are often difficult to handle 0 safetywise, because of their explosion-like failure mode.

s** I5 The main objective of this invention is to enable the designer to vary the shape of the pressure vessel at will and to make it fit into existing spaces such as in a car or aeroplane where space is limited.

Another object is to reduce the weight of the vessel and to increase reliability and safety.

Another object is the lowering of production costs.

2 These objectives and advantages are achieved by utilising three-dimensionally woven fabrics such as, for instance, are produced by the Vorwerk Company of Kulmbach, Germany. This is q convenient because these are commercially available, however, any other two-ply reinforcement material, which has interconnecting cross-plies as shown in picture 1 is suitable for the purpose of this invention.

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S**

10 The material can easily be used to manufacture container-like structures as in picture 2. The material is wetted out with a thermoset resin in accordance with the manufactureres instructions. This is done, typically, by /5y squeezing the wetted 3-D matrial until all fibres are uniformly impregnated with matrix resin. Due to the spring-like behaviour of the cross-fibres, even when wet, the material will form a near hollow space between the plies which are held at equal distance. This structure will become completely rigid after cure of the matrix resin. Around the edges of the container the plies are glued together to form a sealed seam. Fittings can easily be A 1~.5 bonded into this structure.

4 Since all pressures are contained by the numerous fibres, both in tension and compression, forces wanting to split the seams will remain relativley small (see picture 3).

Thus in this type of pressure vessel forces acting on the walls don't increase with volume and surface area.

S*

S G Since the material is almost infinitly mouldable like most other composites (e.g.such as t(0 fibreglass) the pressure vessel cannot only be made to fit anywhere but can also be manufactured in situ (picture 4).

It is further possible to connect a number of such containers in series to arrive at any S required shape or volume without ever the need for a big, bulky and what is usually a spacewasting round vessel (picture An example S"of this would be a gas or fuel reservoir system in a car or aeroplane where space is extremely limited. Another example would be a modular compressed air reservoir the volume of which could be adjusted to particular requirements by simply increasing or decreasing the number of modules, which don't even have to have the same shape.

Picture 1 shows a piece of 3-D material without the edges joined.

Picture 2 shows such a piece with the edges joined and Picture 2B (insert) shows an E optional seam construction with the glue injected from the edge.

Picture 3 shows 1) forces acting on the seam of our 3-D composite pressure vessel and 2) the forces on any point on the wall of an 10 ordinary pressure vessel.

Picture 4 shows a x-section of a spaceconforming pressure vessel as proposed by us.

Picture 5 shows an example of the wing of an S* aeroplane using ten layers of modules to 0** S o utilise the space defined by the wing profile.

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