Pressure vessel having wet-wrapped carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic

Abstract

A method is provided for producing a pressure vessel from a metal liner, which is reinforced at an outer lateral surface thereof by fiber composite material having a resin matrix. In at least one production step, the resin matrix of the fiber composite material is subjected to an ultrasound treatment.

Claims

1. A method of producing a pressure vessel, the method comprising the acts of: reinforcing a metal liner at an outer lateral surface thereof via fiber composite material having a resin matrix; rotating the metal liner about a rotation axis of the pressure vessel to enable the metal liner to be wound with the fiber composite material via a winding method; and in at least one production step, degassing air or air bubbles from the resin matrix by subjecting the resin matrix of the fiber composite material to an ultrasound treatment, wherein the ultrasound waves are input in such a way that an increased degassing rate due to ultrasonic excitation occurs only in a region of an upper half shell of the metal liner that is above an imaginary horizontal sectional plane containing the rotation axis of the pressure vessel during rotation of the metal liner.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more characteristics of ultrasound waves used during the ultrasound treatment are chosen to provide an increased degassing rate of enclosed air or air bubbles from the resin matrix compared to when no ultrasound treatment is applied.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasound waves are input during the ultrasound treatment via one or more ultrasound probes coupled mechanically or acoustically to the metal liner.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the one or more ultrasound probes are coupled to a respective inlet stub or outlet stub of the metal liner of the pressure vessel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of reinforcing the metal liner is carried out by applying the fiber composite material to the outer lateral surface of the metal liner via the winding method.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the ultrasound treatment is carried out during the winding method.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein ultrasound waves are input during the ultrasound treatment via one or more ultrasound probes coupled mechanically or acoustically to the metal liner.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more ultrasound probes are coupled to a respective inlet stub or outlet stub of the metal liner of the pressure vessel.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound treatment of the resin matrix occurs before applying the fiber composite material to the outer lateral surface of the metal liner.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound treatment of the resin matrix occurs during a curing process.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the ultrasound treatment during the curing process occurs in a vacuum chamber.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fiber composite material is composed of carbon and/or glass fibers.

13. A method of producing a pressure vessel, the method comprising the acts of: reinforcing a metal liner at an outer lateral surface thereof by winding fiber composite material having a resin matrix onto the outer lateral surface of the metal liner; rotating the metal liner about a rotation axis of the pressure vessel to enable the metal liner to be wound with the fiber composite material; and degassing air or air bubbles from the resin matrix by subjecting the resin matrix of the fiber composite material to an ultrasound treatment while winding the fiber composite onto the outer lateral surface of the metal liner, wherein ultrasound waves are input in such a way that an increased degassing rate due to ultrasonic excitation occurs only in a region of an upper half shell of the metal liner that is above an imaginary horizontal sectional plane containing the rotation axis of the pressure vessel during rotation of the metal liner.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein an intensity and a wavelength of the ultrasound waves are determined based on a geometry of the metal liner and a property of the fiber composite material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic section through a pressure vessel having two ultrasound probes installed for inputting ultrasound waves according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(2) The method step of ultrasound treatment of a pressure vessel 1 having two installed ultrasound probes 5a, 5b for inputting ultrasound waves is shown schematically in FIG. 1. The illustrative embodiment shows a pressure vessel 1 consisting of an aluminum liner 2, which has been reinforced at its outer lateral surface 3 by way of a winding method with a fiber composite material 4 containing a resin matrix.

(3) The method is carried out in such a way that the liner 2 rotates about its axis 6 to enable it to be wound with the fiber composite material. As a result, one half 2a (upper half shell) is always above the horizontal section plane formed by the axis 6, and the other half 2b (lower half shell) is always below the section plane. Attention is drawn to the fact that the term half shell does not mean that the liner has been assembled from 2 halves but merely denotes the region which is either above or below the section plane.

(4) In the winding production step, the resin matrix of the fiber composite material 4 is subjected to an ultrasound treatment, namely by coupling the two ultrasound probes 5a, 5b, which are mounted on the inlet stub 7a and on the outlet stub 7b of the liner 2 of the pressure vessel 1.

(5) The characteristic of the ultrasound waves during the ultrasound treatment is chosen so that, on the one hand, an increased degassing rate of enclosed air or air bubbles from the resin matrix is achieved and, on the other hand, degassing is excited predominantly in the region of the upper half shell. In other words, this means that the inputting of the ultrasound waves is performed in such a way that the increase in the degassing rate through ultrasound excitation takes place predominantly or exclusively in the region which is, in each case, at the top during the rotation of the liner 2, i.e. in the region of the upper half shell 2a.

(6) Nevertheless, it is also possible for excitation and hence degassing to be performed over the entire outer lateral surface and for a corresponding ultrasound excitation to be employed.

(7) In a further method step after the conclusion of the winding process and the application of the fiber composite material 4, curing takes place in a vacuum furnace. During curing, an ultrasound treatment of the resin of the resin matrix is likewise carried out.

(8) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.