Pursuit of a single stage to orbit vehicle has been made more feasible today with the introduction of enabling composite manufacturing technology developed by Alliant Techsystems and their customer, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks for the X-33, a single stage to orbit (SSTO) reusable launch vehicle (RLV) prototype, function both as containment vessel and as primary vehicle structure. The need for a high performance-to-weight ratio, relatively large size, and thin laminate provide a unique combination of requirements that were met using Alliant's newest fiber placement machine. This fiber placement machine easily accommodated the large mandrels for the LH2 tank components, while maintaining the precise ply angles and ply drop locations critical to maintain tank performance and fluid containment. Early development work focused on control of skin permeability through fiber placement, hand lay up, and cure techniques. Bond joints for the many pieces of the LH2 tank were given special attention. Alliant will soon complete all components of the LH2 tanks. This paper will present a summary of those successes, and discuss future potential applications in cryogenic tanks.
Demonstration of enabling technology for the manufacture of large composite cryogenic tanks
1998
7 Seiten
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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