PRESSURIZED GAS ACCUMULATOR, METHOD FOR PRODUCING A PRESSURIZED GAS ACCUMULATOR, AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD

Abstract

A pressurized gas accumulator has a hollow body which extends along a longitudinal axis and at least one connection piece. The hollow body has at least one layer of a weave structure with a plurality of warp threads running next to one another and a weft thread woven with the warp threads and oriented perpendicular thereto. The warp threads are oriented essentially parallel or essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow body. A method for producing a pressurised gas accumulator and to a device for carrying out said method is also provided.

Claims

1. A pressurized gas accumulator, comprising: a hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having at least one connection piece, which hollow body has at least one layer of a weave structure having a plurality of warp threads running next to one another and a weft thread woven with the warp threads and oriented essentially perpendicular to the warp threads, wherein the warp threads are oriented essentially parallel to or essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

2. The pressurized gas accumulator according to claim 1, wherein the weave structure has at least one diagonal thread woven diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis with at least one of the warp threads.

3. The pressurized gas accumulator according to claim 2, wherein the diagonal thread is formed as an alternating warp thread, which is woven in a zig-zag shape with at least one first and one second warp thread.

4. The pressurized gas accumulator according claim 2, wherein the diagonal thread is formed as a diagonal weft thread, which is woven in a zig-zag shape with at least one first and one second warp thread.

5. A method for producing a pressurized gas accumulator formed as a hollow body including a rotationally symmetrical base body extending along a longitudinal axis, comprising: forming a weave structure, wherein the weave structure has a plurality of warp threads running next to one another and a weft thread woven with the warp threads and oriented essentially perpendicular to the warp threads; and laying down and/or winding the weave structure around the rotationally symmetrical base body, such that the warp threads are oriented essentially parallel or essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: removing the rotationally symmetrical base body from the hollow body formed by the laying down and/or winding.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the forming of the weave structure additionally comprises: introducing or forming a diagonal thread which is woven diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis with at least one of the warp threads.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the introduction or forming of the diagonal thread in the weave structure comprises: wrapping one of the warp threads around at least one other of the warp threads; and/or sequentially guiding a second weft thread diagonally to the longitudinal axis.

9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: following at least the laying down and/or winding the fabric around the rotationally symmetrical base body, coating the wrapped hollow body with a matrix material.

10. A device for carrying out a method including forming a weave structure having a plurality of warp threads running next to one another and a weft thread woven with the warp threads and oriented essentially perpendicular to the warp threads, and laying down and/or winding the weave structure around a rotationally symmetrical base body such that the warp threads are oriented essentially parallel or essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the base body, the device comprising: a winding device for wrapping the rotationally symmetrical base body with the weave structure, wherein the base body is wrapped with the weave structure by a rotational relative movement between the base body and the weave structure such that the warp threads are oriented parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Additional advantages, features and details arise from the claims, the following description and on the basis of the drawings. The following are shown:

[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a pressurized gas accumulator with warp threads oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a weft thread formed parallel to the longitudinal axis.

[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a pressurized gas accumulator with additionally introduced diagonal threads.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a pressurized gas accumulator 1 of type III or type IV formed as a hollow body 3 and in the process of being produced. A hollow-cylindrical intermediate hollow body 16 which extends along a longitudinal axis 2 is arranged on the inner circumference of the hollow body 3. A dome 4 with a connection piece 5 for filling and removing a fluid is formed at each of its two open ends. The hollow body 3 has a weave structure 6 with a plurality of warp threads 7 arranged parallel to one another and with a weft thread 9 woven with the warp threads 7 and, at least in sections, oriented essentially perpendicular thereto. The warp threads 7 are oriented essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2 and thus perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2 of the intermediate hollow body 16.

[0041] A width 8 of the weave structure 6 corresponds to at least one extent of the intermediate hollow body 16 along the longitudinal axis 2, such that a wrapping of the weave structure 6 around the intermediate hollow body 16that is to say, a layeralmost completely surrounds it. In the present exemplary embodiment, the warp threads 7 are arranged at regular intervals from one another. In an alternative embodiment, the distance between the individual warp threads 7 can vary as a function of the pressure conditions which are present later in the filled accumulator.

[0042] A weft thread 9 is woven with the warp threads 7 parallel to the longitudinal axis 2. The weft thread 9 forms a mesh structure with the warp thread 7, wherein the weft thread 9 forms a plurality of interconnected rows woven with the warp threads 7 and the warp threads 7 are arranged in columns. In an alternative embodiment, the weave structure 6 may also comprise a plurality of weft threads 9.

[0043] The load capacity of the pressurized gas accumulator 1 is increased by orienting the warp threads 7 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2. This is related to the fact that the main load in a cylindrical pressurized gas accumulator 1 is in the radial direction and in the axial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis 2. The maximum load capacity of a weave structure 6, however, is in the fiber direction, which is oriented in the direction of the highest load on the pressurized gas accumulator 1 in the weave structure 6.

[0044] The pressurized gas accumulator 1 according to FIG. 1 is produced by the following method: in the present exemplary embodiment, the intermediate hollow body 16 serves as a rotationally symmetrical base body 17 of a winding device, not shown in further detail. The warp threads 7 are arranged on the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 in such a way that they run essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2. A shed is formed by spreading the warp threads 7. The weft thread 9 is woven with the warp threads 7 by passing it through the shed in a first direction, such that the weft thread is arranged essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis 2 and essentially perpendicular to the warp threads 7. In a next step, the weft thread 9 is passed through the shed opposite to the first direction. The weft thread 9 is passed through the shed until the weave structure has the desired length.

[0045] The laying down and/or winding of the weave structure 6 around the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 takes place in that the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 rotates about its longitudinal axis 2. The weave structure 6 is unwound via a roller, not shown in further detail, and guided to the rotationally symmetrical base body 17. It is laid down and/or wound in such a way that the warp threads 7 are oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2 of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17. In particular, the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 is wrapped multiple times. In one embodiment, the laying down and/or winding and the forming of the weave structure 6 take place simultaneously at least some of the time.

[0046] In an alternative embodiment, a tube, a balloon, a metal body or the like serve as the rotationally symmetrical base body 17. A tube or balloon is either inflated or filled with a liquid so as to form the desired geometry for the pressured gas accumulator 1. Subsequently, the warp threads 7 are detachably fastened to the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 in such a way that they are oriented essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2. Weaving and laying down and/or winding take place as described above. Following the laying down and/or winding process, the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 is removed from the wrapped hollow body 3.

[0047] In a further alternative embodiment, the weave structure 6 can also be formed first in a weaving device and then the finished weave structure 6 can be oriented on the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 in such a way that the warp threads 7 are oriented essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2 of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17. Furthermore, the weave structure 6 is oriented on the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 in such a way that its edges end at the ends of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17 formed as domes 4.

[0048] Following the laying down and/or winding of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17, the wrapped hollow body 3 is coated with a matrix material, which may be made of resin or liquid plastic, and hardened by means of application of heat, such that the fibers are glued together and the hollow body 3 is sealed.

[0049] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the pressurized gas accumulator 1. The weave structure 6 has two diagonal threads 10 which are diagonally woven with respect to the longitudinal axis 2 with at least one of the warp threads 7 in each case. A first diagonal thread 10 is designed as an alternating warp thread 11 which is woven in a zig-zag shape with at least one first and one second warp thread 7. The design of the diagonal threads 10 as alternating warp threads 11 is advantageous in the region of the domes 4 of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17. This enables the better adaptation of the fiber direction to the given container geometry. In the present exemplary embodiment, the alternating warp thread 11 is formed as a regular zig-zag pattern; i.e., the alternating warp thread 11 is alternately looped around the same warp threads 7 at regular intervals. In an alternative embodiment, the alternating warp thread 11 can also form an irregular zig-zag pattern.

[0050] The present embodiment further comprises a second diagonal thread 10 which is formed as a diagonal weft thread 12 which is woven in a zig-zag shape with a first edge warp thread 13 and a second edge warp thread 14 arranged at the edges of the weave structure 6. The diagonal weft thread 12 likewise forms a regular zig-zag pattern, but in an alternative embodiment it can also form an irregular zig-zag pattern. The whole weave structure 6 is reinforced by the introduction of the diagonal weft thread 12. The weave structure 6 can have any number of diagonal threads 10 which are formed as alternating warp threads 11 and/or as diagonal weft threads 12.

[0051] The method of producing the pressurized gas accumulator 1 is carried out as described above, wherein the diagonal threads 10 are additionally introduced into the weave structure 6. The introduction of the diagonal threads 10 takes place as follows: The alternating warp thread 11 is introduced by wrapping one of the warp threads 7 around another warp thread 15 and a further warp thread, in the present exemplary embodiment the first edge warp thread 13. By means of this bobbin principle, a zig-zag-shaped structure is formed at the edge region of the alternating warp thread 11 and thus in the region of the dome 4. Similarly, such zig-zag-shaped structures can also be formed in the middle of the weave structure 6 or along the entire width 8 of the weave structure 6. The weave structure 6 can thus be adapted individually to the geometric and load-related requirements of the hollow body 3.

[0052] The diagonal weft thread 12 is introduced by sequentially guiding a second weft thread 9 through the shed diagonally to the longitudinal axis 2 of the rotationally symmetrical base body 17.

[0053] Adaptation of the contour of the weave structure 6 to the given container geometry can be improved by adapting the weave structure 6, for example, in the region of the domes 4. This can be achieved by moving the warp threads 7 more slowly when the weave structure 6 is being formed, that is to say, by braking, for example, by a thread brake. Alternatively, it is possible to control the unrolling behavior of the spools of the weaving device on which the warp threads 7 are wound accordingly. In an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to adjust the length of the warp threads 7, that is to say, to shorten them, for example, in the region of the domes 4. The weaving and/or winding speed can also be adjusted.

[0054] In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.