Variable Thickness Carbon Fiber Hoop Layer for Pressure Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to ensure structural rigidity and minimize the use of carbon fiber composite material in pressure vessels while reducing costs, as excessive reduction in carbon fiber layer thickness compromises the vessel's stability and reliability, particularly against hoop stress.
Innovation Solution
The pressure vessel design incorporates a carbon fiber layer with first and second hoop layers of different thicknesses, where the first hoop layer surrounds the central region with a larger thickness to resist maximum hoop stress, and the second hoop layer, with a smaller thickness, covers the edge regions, optimizing structural rigidity and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the thickness of the carbon fiber layer is decreased to minimize material usage, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but structural rigidity against hoop stress deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the thickness of the carbon fiber layer across different regions of the pressure vessel. The first hoop layer has a greater thickness in the central region where hoop stress is maximum, while the second hoop layer has a smaller thickness in the edge regions where hoop stress is lower. This non-uniform thickness distribution optimizes structural rigidity where needed while minimizing material usage in less critical areas, directly resolving the contradiction between material quantity and structural strength.
2Weight of moving object
If the thickness of the carbon fiber layer is decreased to reduce weight, then weight reduction is achieved, but stability and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating a non-uniform carbon fiber layer thickness distribution that matches the stress profile of the pressure vessel. The first hoop layer provides greater thickness (and thus greater strength-to-weight ratio) in the central region experiencing maximum hoop stress, while the second hoop layer provides adequate but reduced thickness in edge regions. This ensures reliability and stability are maintained in critical areas while achieving overall weight reduction through strategic material placement.
3Quantity of substance
If the carbon fiber layer thickness is uniformly reduced to minimize material usage, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but structural rigidity in critical regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent directly addresses this contradiction by abandoning uniform thickness reduction in favor of a spatially varying thickness profile. The first hoop layer maintains greater thickness in the central critical region where hoop stress is maximum, ensuring structural rigidity is preserved where most needed. The second hoop layer reduces thickness in non-critical edge regions, achieving material savings. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of both material quantity and critical region strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure vessel includes a liner including a cylinder part and side parts provided at both ends of the cylinder part, each side part having a dome shape, and a carbon fiber layer including a first hoop layer surrounding a part of an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part and second hoop layers surrounding other parts of the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, each of the second hoop layers having a thickness different from a thickness of the first hoop layer.