Lateral Hydrogen Tank Mounting for Truck Chassis Vibration Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of integrating pressurized fuel storage systems in long haulage trucks is to maintain sufficient driving range without intermediate refueling, while minimizing the impact on chassis durability, drivability, and comfort due to vibrations and resonance frequencies, particularly when using hydrogen fuel cells.
Innovation Solution
A cantilevered mounting system with neck mounts and struts is used to suspend pressurized fuel vessels laterally, allowing axial and radial expansion, while constraining translational movements and transferring suspension forces to the chassis, thereby reducing dynamic response and resonance effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If pressurized fuel storage is mounted directly to the chassis, then fuel capacity and driving range are improved, but chassis vibrations and resonance frequencies increase, reducing durability and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an independent mounting structure as an intermediary between the pressurized fuel storage and the chassis. This mounting structure includes mounting plates, bolts, and damping elements that decouple the fuel tank from direct chassis connection, thereby reducing vibration transmission while maintaining secure fuel storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates damping elements and flexible mounting components in advance within the mounting structure to cushion against upcoming vibrations and resonance frequencies from the chassis, preventing direct transmission of these harmful forces to the pressurized fuel storage system.
2Stability of the object's composition
If pressurized fuel storage is mounted rigidly to the chassis, then structural stability is improved, but dynamic response to vibrations increases, affecting drivability and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mounting parameters from rigid fixed connection to flexible constrained connection by using compliant mounting elements with specific stiffness and damping characteristics. This allows the system to maintain structural stability while filtering out high-frequency vibrations that affect drivability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure incorporates dynamic elements that can adapt their stiffness characteristics based on operating conditions. The flexible mounting allows controlled movement and vibration isolation, improving comfort while maintaining adequate structural stability for safe fuel storage.
3Reliability
If pressurized fuel storage is decoupled from the chassis, then vibration transmission is reduced, but mounting structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is segmented into distinct functional components: mounting plates for attachment, damping elements for vibration isolation, and flexible connectors for decoupling. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall simplicity and manufacturability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A truck or tractor semi-trailer combination interconnected via a fifth wheel, comprising a pressurized fuel storage mounted between a rear end of the cabin and the semi-trailer. The pressurized fuel storage comprises opposing vessel mount structures extending from a top side of the pair of longitudinal chassis members and arranged for suspending an elongated pressure vessel in a lateral orientation. Each vessel mount structure comprises a strut provided with a ring-shaped clearance and a frame providing a neck mount for mounting an axial end of the elongated pressure vessel at a lateral offset from the strut. The struts are arranged for transferring a suspension force from the neck mounts to the pair of longitudinal chassis members, for thereby constraining a movement of the pressurized fuel storage with respect to the pair of longitudinal chassis members.