Reinforced Launch Vehicle Tank Bulging for Stronger, Lighter Welded Shells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing technologies for liquid fuel tanks of launch vehicles result in high costs, heavy weight, and low reliability due to complex processing, high material costs, and inadequate weld strength, with cold hardening techniques not effectively applied.
Innovation Solution
A reinforced bulging tank design using metal materials with good plasticity, such as superalloy, invar steel, and austenitic stainless steel, welded and cold worked through bulging processes, incorporating longitudinal reinforcing ribs and annular frames, with bulging tooling to enhance structural strength and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-strength aluminum alloy welding is used to manufacture the liquid fuel tank, then the tank strength is improved, but the material utilization rate decreases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary cold working and bulging to the aluminum alloy panels before welding to achieve material strengthening in advance. This preliminary action increases the strength of the base material, allowing for thinner panels and reduced material usage while maintaining the required tank strength, thereby improving material utilization rate and reducing manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and mechanical parameters of the aluminum alloy material through cold working and bulging processes. These parameter changes include increasing the yield strength and hardness of the material, which allows the tank to achieve required strength with less material, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and manufacturing cost
2Stability of the object's composition
If rib structures are processed by material reducing and turning milling technology to improve axial compression stability, then the tank stability is improved, but the material utilization rate decreases and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent forms the rib structures and thickening regions through preliminary cold working and bulging before final assembly. This preliminary formation of structural features eliminates the need for complex post-welding machining operations, reducing processing technology complexity while maintaining axial compression stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining (turning, milling) with cold forming and bulging processes to create rib structures. This substitution of manufacturing methods reduces processing complexity and improves material utilization while achieving the same structural stability
3Strength
If weld thickness is greatly increased to improve weld strength, then the weld strength is improved, but the tank weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the strength parameters of the base material through cold working and bulging, increasing the yield strength of the aluminum alloy. This allows for thinner welds and reduced material thickness while maintaining adequate weld strength, thereby reducing tank weight
Solution Approach 2:
The patent strengthens the base material in advance through cold working before welding. This preliminary strengthening allows for reduced weld dimensions while maintaining the required joint strength, eliminating the need to increase weld thickness and thus reducing tank weight
4Strength
If cold hardening is applied to the tank structure under internal pressure, then the material strength is improved, but the hardening becomes uneven and deformation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies cold working and bulging to the tank structure before pressurization to achieve uniform hardening. By performing the hardening action in advance under controlled conditions rather than during pressurization, uniform strength improvement is achieved without uneven deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence by applying cold hardening before pressurization rather than during or after. This reversal allows controlled, uniform hardening to occur in a controlled manufacturing environment, preventing the uneven hardening and deformation that would occur under uncontrolled internal pressure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method achieves high-strength, lightweight tanks with reduced material costs and improved weld reliability, utilizing bulging technology for uniform hardening and deformation control, resulting in efficient manufacturing with high material utilization.
Implementation Method 1
cold hardening for the materials based on a bulging technology to realize strengthening of the materials
Implementation Method 2
forming the tank through internal pressure bulging cold hardening and strengthening
Implementation Method 3
The liquid fuel tank of the launch vehicle is generally manufactured by high-strength aluminum alloy welding
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a reinforced bulging tank of a launch vehicle and a manufacturing method therefor. The tank is made of metal material with good plasticity. Firstly, the tank is manufactured by welding annealed plastic metal materials, wherein internal longitudinal reinforcing ribs and internal annular frames/annular plates of barrel sections are welded with a barrel section shell by a low energy laser welding method, and tank bottoms are progressively welded by a plurality of conical sections. Weldments are strengthened and formed through internal pressure bulging under the constraint of external tooling. The outer walls of the barrel sections are not radially deformed under the constraint of a plurality of small width metal rings, and the metal rings are not connected to each other axially. The strength of the materials can be greatly improved by a deep cooling bulging technology.