Characterization of Polymeric Composites for Hydrogen Tank

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Composite Materials
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Growing demand for hydrogen tanks driven by carbon neutrality goals.
• Critical need for accurate material property determination in high-performance tank design.
• Limitations of conventional methods in underestimating material properties of filament-wound structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate alternative ring tensile specimen designs for accurate characterization of filament-wound composites.
• To assess the mechanical properties of thermoplastic composites for hydrogen storage applications.
• To facilitate the development of recyclable hydrogen tanks through improved material characterization.

Main Methods:

• Development and analysis of novel ring tensile specimen designs.
• Integration of numerical simulations and experimental investigations to validate specimen designs.
• Application of proposed methods to characterize carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (Elium® 591).

Main Results:

• Alternative ring tensile specimens provide accurate and reliable characterization of filament-wound structures.
• Mechanical strengths and stiffness of Elium® 591 thermoplastic composites are comparable to traditional epoxy-based composites.
• Validated characterization methods enable precise measurement of composite properties.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ring tensile methods overcome limitations of conventional techniques for composite characterization.
• Thermoplastic composites show promise for hydrogen storage tanks, matching performance of epoxy composites.
• Enhanced material characterization accuracy is crucial for advancing recyclable hydrogen tank technology.