Design Process of Load-bearing Carbon Fibre-reinforced Hydrogen Tanks in Aircraft Wings
Topic(s) : Special Sessions
Co-authors :
Chris FISCHER (GERMANY), Philipp ENGEL , Felix FRIEDMANN , Florian DEXL (GERMANY), Andreas HAUFFE , Klaus WOLF , Johannes MARKMILLERAbstract :
Technological innovation is a key element in advancing international efforts to develop climate-friendly technologies with the aim to reduce emissions. Aviation has a key function in achieving this goal, because climate-impacting emissions are emitted at high altitudes. In this context, the development of new types of aircraft propulsion using hydrogen is crucial.
The modification of existing small aircraft with additional hydrogen storage tanks is usually limited due to the restricted payload space. Furthermore, additional masses often lead to uneconomical operation. For this reason, unconventional approaches of hydrogen storage must be investigated. As such, a wing concept with tubes, acting both as high-pressure tanks for hydrogen storage and as load-bearing spars, was developed using the example of the APUS i-2. The design procedure is shown in Figure 1.
In a first step structural concepts for wing segments including tank tubes made of carbon fibre-reinforced composites were developed using the in-house optimisation tool GEOpS², based on Evolutionary Algorithms. The structural behaviour was analysed by extensive investigations: hardpoints for engine and landing gear loads were modelled, aerodynamical and structural loads were applied to evaluate the structural behaviour. This allowed to optimise for both minimum structural weight and maximum stored hydrogen mass. As a result, a structural concept with four tank tubes was identified as the most efficient structural design.
In a second step, detailed structural design was carried out including the design of substructures, such as the outer wing and the structural connection of the landing gear and engines to the wing.
Based on the design results, the wing with the load-bearing tanks was manufactured by one of the project partners. Strain gauges were applied at defined structural points across the entire wingspan. The tank concept was tested with different pressure scenarios. During the test, the surface strains were additionally measured using an optical deformation measuring system.
The test results were used to validate the developed simulation methods. Both the experimental and numerical investigations provide a significant contribution to the design of composite tubes, acting both as high-pressure hydrogen tanks and wing spars. The main test and simulation results will be presented.
This research was part of the collaborative research project Hydrotube, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (20W1716E). The responsibility for the content is with its authors. We thank our collaboration partners APUS Zero Emission GmbH, COTESA GmbH and KVB Institut für Konstruktion und Verbundbauweisen gGmbH. The pressure test was carried out by IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH. Calculations were performed on the Bull HPC-Cluster provided by the Zentrum für Informationsdienste und Hochleistungsrechnen (ZIH), TUD Dresden University of Technology.
The modification of existing small aircraft with additional hydrogen storage tanks is usually limited due to the restricted payload space. Furthermore, additional masses often lead to uneconomical operation. For this reason, unconventional approaches of hydrogen storage must be investigated. As such, a wing concept with tubes, acting both as high-pressure tanks for hydrogen storage and as load-bearing spars, was developed using the example of the APUS i-2. The design procedure is shown in Figure 1.
In a first step structural concepts for wing segments including tank tubes made of carbon fibre-reinforced composites were developed using the in-house optimisation tool GEOpS², based on Evolutionary Algorithms. The structural behaviour was analysed by extensive investigations: hardpoints for engine and landing gear loads were modelled, aerodynamical and structural loads were applied to evaluate the structural behaviour. This allowed to optimise for both minimum structural weight and maximum stored hydrogen mass. As a result, a structural concept with four tank tubes was identified as the most efficient structural design.
In a second step, detailed structural design was carried out including the design of substructures, such as the outer wing and the structural connection of the landing gear and engines to the wing.
Based on the design results, the wing with the load-bearing tanks was manufactured by one of the project partners. Strain gauges were applied at defined structural points across the entire wingspan. The tank concept was tested with different pressure scenarios. During the test, the surface strains were additionally measured using an optical deformation measuring system.
The test results were used to validate the developed simulation methods. Both the experimental and numerical investigations provide a significant contribution to the design of composite tubes, acting both as high-pressure hydrogen tanks and wing spars. The main test and simulation results will be presented.
This research was part of the collaborative research project Hydrotube, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (20W1716E). The responsibility for the content is with its authors. We thank our collaboration partners APUS Zero Emission GmbH, COTESA GmbH and KVB Institut für Konstruktion und Verbundbauweisen gGmbH. The pressure test was carried out by IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH. Calculations were performed on the Bull HPC-Cluster provided by the Zentrum für Informationsdienste und Hochleistungsrechnen (ZIH), TUD Dresden University of Technology.