Design and Analysis of a Pressurized Composite Fuel Tank

摘要

An investigation works towards obtaining a lightweight, cost- effective pressurized fuel tank for a hybrid sounding rocket with a capacity of 20 kg of either Nitrous Oxide or Hydrogen Peroxide. Trade studies result in analyzing a graphite epoxy prepreg composite tank with unidirectional lamina designed for a burst pressure of 2000 psi. The analysis resulted in a pressure vessel in the shape of a cylinder with spherical ends. The tank's diameter is 8 inches and the total length is 5 feet. The analysis further determined the fuel tank's layered construction of 6 plies oriented 0 degrees and 90 degrees each, with 10 plies oriented at 45 degrees. This gave a total of 22 plies for a thickness of 0.11 inches with a tank factor of 18785 and a mass of 3.7 kg. Hand lay-up manufacturing techniques are discussed for composite fuel tanks as well as mold and tooling comparisons.