Hydrogen Tank Rod Assembly to Cut FRP Reinforcement Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing hydrogen tanks require a significant increase in the usage amount of fiber reinforced plastic to ensure bonding strength between the body and dome reinforcing layers, leading to increased material costs and potential inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen tank design featuring a rod-shaped member assembly with a fiber reinforced plastic reinforcing layer, where the rod-shaped members are bonded at their ends and have intermediate gaps, eliminating the need for a separate dome reinforcing layer and reducing the overall usage of fiber reinforced plastic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the area of the end portions where the body reinforcing layer and dome reinforcing layer are overlapped is increased to ensure bonding strength, then the bonding strength between layers is improved, but the usage amount of fiber reinforced plastic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing layer is divided into a body reinforcing layer and a dome reinforcing layer that are positioned at different locations along the axial direction. The body reinforcing layer is disposed at the body portion while the dome reinforcing layer is disposed at the dome portion, with their end portions overlapping in the axial direction. This segmentation allows each layer to primarily reinforce its respective region, reducing the need for extensive overlap area while maintaining bonding strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a conventional horizontal bonding approach to a vertical bonding approach by positioning the end portions of the body reinforcing layer and dome reinforcing layer to overlap in the axial direction. This dimensional change allows the layers to be bonded along the length of the tank rather than requiring large overlapping areas in the radial direction, thereby reducing the total usage amount of fiber reinforced plastic while ensuring adequate bonding strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a split structure with separate body and dome reinforcing layers is used, then the structural integrity is improved, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases due to the need for bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing layer is segmented into distinct body and dome portions with clearly defined positioning regions. The body reinforcing layer is configured to primarily reinforce the body portion, while the dome reinforcing layer is configured to primarily reinforce the dome portion. This segmentation provides clear manufacturing guidelines for where each layer should be applied, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining structural integrity through the bonded connection at the overlapping end portions.
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrogen tank includes a fitting having a through-hole; a boss member disposed on an opposite side of the hydrogen tank from the fitting in a direction of an axis of the hydrogen tank; a rod-shaped member assembly configured by arranging rod-shaped members each having an elongated shape in a circumferential direction and a radial direction of the hydrogen tank such that the fitting and the boss member serve as a winding core, each of the rod-shaped members having a first end portion disposed on a fitting side and a second end portion disposed on a boss member side; and a reinforcing layer made of a fiber reinforced plastic and disposed to cover an outer peripheral surface of the rod-shaped member assembly. In the first end portion and the second end portion, the rod-shaped members adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction and the radial direction are bonded.