A head structure of type IV hydrogen storage cylinder and a manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a head structure of type IV hydrogen storage cylinder and a manufacturing method, the hydrogen storage cylinder comprising a cylinder valve seat, a carbon fiber winding layer, an upper reinforcing end cap, a glass fiber protective layer, a cylinder liner and a lower reinforcing end cap. The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are prepared by RTM method, and are matched with the cylinder liner and the cylinder valve seat. The carbon fiber winding layer is wound on the surface of the cylinder liner and the upper and lower reinforcing end caps in a ring and spiral alternating winding mode, and the carbon fiber winding layer is provided with a glass fiber protective layer. The application discloses a head reinforcing method and a manufacturing method of type IV cylinder for the purpose of reducing the overall weight on the basis of meeting the hydrogen storage density of the conventional cylinder head dangerous area. The use amount of carbon fiber is effectively reduced, and the development of the hydrogen storage technology of aerospace and hydrogen energy automobile is promoted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to the technical field of high-pressure hydrogen storage, in particular to a head structure of an IV type hydrogen storage cylinder and a manufacturing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, vehicle hydrogen is still stored in the form of compressed gas in an IV type cylinder. The fiber winding layer guarantees the carrying capacity of the cylinder, and accounts for 70% of the weight of the whole cylinder. Reducing the use of fibers while meeting the carrying requirements is the focus of current academic research on the IV type hydrogen storage cylinder.

[0003] In view of a series of problems encountered in the development of the vehicle-mounted hydrogen storage cylinder, the structure shown in Chinese patent CN111288291A improves the toughness of the tank body and enhances the working pressure and impact resistance of the tank body by cooperation between the carbon nanotube fiber layer and the fiber layer other than the carbon nanotube; the structure shown in Chinese patent CN112743878A solves the problem of stress concentration weak points caused by the two-dimensional stacking of the traditional winding method in the thickness direction by preparing a composite material layer through two-dimensional multi-spindle weaving of fiber yarns on the outer surface of the inner container, and improves the carrying capacity of the cylinder. However, the above-mentioned prior art focuses on the sealing of the bottle opening to prevent leakage, but the reinforcement effect of the whole head region is not good.

[0004] The most vulnerable area of the composite material wound cylinder is located at the head. The spiral winding layer on the outside of the inner container mainly bears the axial force and protects the head; the hoop winding layer is used to bear the circumferential stress that the spiral winding layer does not bear. Although the method of optimizing the global winding mode or the global material can enhance the carrying capacity and reduce the weight of the bottle body, it lacks targeted reinforcement measures for the dangerous area, and the carrying capacity of the dangerous area is met while the material is overused in other areas. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the problems and challenges existing in the prior art and demand, the purpose of the present application is to provide a plastic inner container composite hydrogen storage cylinder which can transfer the dangerous area of the bottle body and improve the hydrogen storage density of the cylinder.

[0006] The technical means adopted by the present application are as follows:

[0007] A head structure of an IV type hydrogen storage cylinder, comprising a cylinder valve seat, a carbon fiber winding layer, an upper reinforcing end cap, a glass fiber protective layer, a cylinder inner container and a lower reinforcing end cap, wherein:

[0008] The inner surface of the cylinder valve seat is a tangent pipe thread connected with the metal cylinder opening;

[0009] The cylinder inner container body is of an equal-thickness variable-radius structure;

[0010] The upper reinforcing end cap, the lower reinforcing end cap and the cylinder valve seat are embedded on the outer surface of the cylinder liner;

[0011] The carbon fiber winding layer is wound on the surface of the cylinder liner and the upper and lower reinforcing end caps;

[0012] The glass fiber protective layer is wrapped on the surface of the cylinder.

[0013] Further, the cylinder liner is made of hydrogen permeation resistant thermoplastic plastic, and the radius is large in the middle and small at both ends.

[0014] Further, the upper reinforcing end cap and the lower reinforcing end cap are made of carbon fiber reinforced composite material, the matrix is made of the same resin material as the cylinder liner, and the fiber is made of the same carbon fiber as the carbon fiber winding layer.

[0015] Further, the upper and lower reinforcing end caps are separately prepared by RTM process, and then assembled together with the liner by blow molding and welding.

[0016] The application also provides a manufacturing method of the end cap structure of the type IV hydrogen storage cylinder, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0017] Step 1, preparing the upper and lower reinforcing end caps by RTM process;

[0018] Step 2, separately preparing the cylinder valve seat made of aluminum alloy;

[0019] Step 3, heating the inner surface of the end cap to a slight melting, preparing the cylinder liner by blow molding, and combining the liner with the end cap and the cylinder valve seat by welding;

[0020] Step 4, taking the cylinder liner and the reinforcing end cap as the core mold, winding the carbon fiber winding layer by wet winding, and placing it in a curing oven for curing;

[0021] Step 5, taking the semi-finished product of the cylinder in step 4 as the core mold, winding the glass fiber protective layer on the surface layer by wet winding process, and placing it in a curing oven for curing.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following advantages:

[0023] 1. Under the same winding method, the upper and lower end caps of the application reinforce the upper and lower end caps of the cylinder, reducing the amount of carbon fiber spiral winding layer used, effectively reducing the amount of composite material used under the same internal pressure, and the overall weight can be reduced by about 10%.

[0024] 2. The upper and lower end caps of the application reinforce the end cap of the cylinder, so that the most dangerous area of the cylinder is moved to the cylinder body, and the carbon fiber wound in the ring direction can enhance the required load bearing capacity of the cylinder. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0027] In the diagram: 1. Gas cylinder valve seat; 2. Carbon fiber winding layer; 3. Upper reinforcing end cap; 4. Fiberglass protective layer; 5. Gas cylinder inner liner; 6. Lower reinforcing end cap. Detailed Implementation

[0028] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0031] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the application. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the application to the exact construction and practice described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents can be resorted to falling within the scope of the application. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the contents of all patents, patent applications, publications, and test methods cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

[0032] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "front", "back", "up", "down", "left", "right", "lateral", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", and the like are generally based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are merely intended to facilitate the description and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. The orientation terms "inner", "outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the contour of the components themselves.

[0033] For the convenience of description, spatial relative terms such as "over", "above", "upper surface", "upper", and the like can be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of one device or feature with respect to other devices or features as shown in the drawings. It should be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation of the device as described in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above" or "over" other devices or structures will be positioned "below" or "under" the other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below" orientations. The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0034] In addition, it should be noted that the use of the terms "first", "second", and the like do not have a special meaning, and are used only to facilitate the distinction between corresponding parts, and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] As Figure 1As shown, the embodiment of the present application discloses a head structure of type IV hydrogen storage cylinder, which comprises a cylinder valve seat 1, a carbon fiber winding layer 2, an upper reinforcing end cap 3, a glass fiber protective layer 4, a cylinder inner container 5 and a lower reinforcing end cap 6, wherein:

[0036] The inner surface of the cylinder valve seat is connected with the metal cylinder mouth through external pipe threads.

[0037] The cylinder body of the cylinder inner container is of equal thickness and variable radius structure, specifically, the radius is large in the middle and small at both ends, and the small part at both ends is used for accommodating the upper and lower reinforcing end caps, and the outer surface is smooth and free of gaps; the material of the cylinder inner container is high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and nylon (PA) and other thermoplastic materials with hydrogen permeation resistance.

[0038] The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are embedded on the outer surface of the cylinder inner container.

[0039] The carbon fiber winding layer is wound on the surface of the cylinder inner container and the upper and lower reinforcing end caps, and the carbon fiber winding layer adopts the mode of spiral winding and ring winding alternately; the carbon fiber winding layer 1 is made of conventional high-performance carbon fiber tows (such as T700-12k), impregnated with epoxy resin, and then subjected to bottle body winding, and the spiral winding layer and the ring winding layer are alternately wound, and the ring winding angle is ±60°, compared with the conventional carbon fiber winding cylinder with the same internal pressure, the upper and lower end caps of the present application reinforce the upper and lower heads of the cylinder, reduce the amount of carbon fiber spiral winding layer, effectively reduce the amount of composite material under the same internal pressure, and the total weight of the cylinder can be reduced by 10%.

[0040] The glass fiber protective layer is wrapped on the surface of the cylinder, and the glass fiber protective layer adopts the mode of ring winding.

[0041] The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are made of carbon fiber reinforced composite material, the matrix uses the same resin material as the cylinder inner container, and the fiber uses the same carbon fiber as the carbon fiber winding layer.

[0042] The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are separately prepared by RTM process, and then assembled together with the inner container through blow molding and welding.

[0043] The present application also provides a manufacturing method of the head structure of type IV hydrogen storage cylinder, which comprises the following steps:

[0044] Step 1, preparing the upper and lower reinforcing end caps by RTM process, and the laying mode of the upper and lower reinforcing end caps is ±45°;

[0045] Step 2, separately preparing the cylinder valve seat, and the material is selected from aluminum alloy;

[0046] Step 3, heat the inner surface of the end cap to micro-melt, prepare the gas cylinder liner by blow molding, and combine the liner with the end cap and the gas cylinder valve seat in the form of welding;

[0047] Step 4, use the gas cylinder liner and the reinforced end cap surface as the core mold, and use the wet winding method to wind the carbon fiber winding layer, and then put it into the curing oven for curing.

[0048] Step 5, use the gas cylinder semi-finished product in step 4 as the core mold, use the wet winding process to wind the glass fiber protective layer on the surface layer, and then put it into the curing oven for curing.

[0049] Finally, it should be pointed out that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A head structure of a type IV hydrogen storage cylinder, characterized in that, The IV type hydrogen storage cylinder head structure comprises a cylinder valve seat, a carbon fiber winding layer, an upper reinforcing end cap, a glass fiber protective layer, a cylinder liner and a lower reinforcing end cap, wherein: The inner surface of the cylinder valve seat is externally connected with a pipe thread, and is connected with a metal cylinder mouth of the cylinder; The cylinder liner body is of an equal thickness and a variable radius structure; The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are embedded on the outer surface of the cylinder liner; The carbon fiber winding layer is wound on the surface of the cylinder liner and the upper and lower reinforcing end caps; The glass fiber protective layer is wrapped on the surface of the cylinder; The cylinder liner is made of a hydrogen permeation resistant thermoplastic plastic, and the radius is large in the middle and small at both ends; The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are made of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials, the matrix is made of the same resin material as the cylinder liner, and the fiber is made of the same carbon fiber as the carbon fiber winding layer; The upper and lower reinforcing end caps are separately prepared by an RTM process, and then assembled together with the cylinder liner by a blow molding and welding combination method; The manufacturing method of the IV type hydrogen storage cylinder head structure comprises the following steps: Step 1: preparing the upper and lower reinforcing end caps by an RTM process; Step 2: separately preparing the cylinder valve seat made of aluminum alloy; Step 3: heating the inner surface of the end cap to a slight melting state, preparing the cylinder liner by a blow molding method, and combining the cylinder liner with the end cap and the cylinder valve seat by welding; Step 4: taking the cylinder liner and the reinforcing end cap as a core mold, winding the carbon fiber winding layer by a wet winding method, and placing it in a curing oven for curing; Step 5: taking the semi-finished product of the cylinder in step 4 as a core mold, winding the glass fiber protective layer on the surface by a wet winding process, and placing it in a curing oven for curing.

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