Design of microcrack resistant composite material for linerless pressure vessels for aerospace applications

MARÍA JOSÉ CHURRUCA; PABLO LEIVA; JUAN MORÁN; EXEQUIEL S. RODRIGUEZ

Mar del Plata

Simposio; XVI Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros, SLAP2018; 2018

Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

The aerospace industry has started to develop pressure vessels made 100% with carbon reinforced composite materials (type V or linerless)1. These vessels are used for containing pressurizing gases in space rockets, and they can replace metallic tanks (type I), metal overwrapped tanks (type II) and even polymer liner overwrapped tanks (type IV), with considerable weight saving, which in turn produces an increase in the payload. However, in absence of a liner that could acts as a barrier for the high pressure contained gases, permeation can takes place through the composite microcraks. This phenomenon has been discussedextensively in the literature2, but still have not been found tools for determining which properties are needed in the polymer matrix and the composite for minimizing microcraking. In this work, polymer matrices were modified in order to obtain different mechanical and physicochemical properties, and thecurve microcrack density vs. strain was obtained for 0/90/0 carbon reinforced laminates. New microcraking resistant composite materials were obtained.