Simulation and Analysis of Crashworthiness of Fuel Tank for Helicopters

Crashworthiness requirement of fuel tanks is one of the important requirements in helicopter designs. The relations among the protection frame, textile layer and rubber layer of the fuel tank are introduced. Two appropriate FE models are established, one is for an uncovered helicopter fuel tank without protection frame, and the other is for fuel tank with protection frame. The dynamic responses of the two types of fuel tanks impinging on the ground with velocities of 17.3 m/s are numerically simulated for the purpose of analyzing energy-absorbing capabilities of the textile layer and protection frame. The feasibility of the current crashworthiness design of the fuel tank is examined though comparing the dynamic response behaviors of the two fuel tanks.

Experimental investigation on enhanced damage to fuel tanks by reactive projectiles impact

Enhanced damage to the full-filled fuel tank,impacted by the cold pressed and sintered PTFE/Al/W reactive material projectile(RMP)with a density of 7.8 g/cm3,is investigated experimentally and theoretically.The fuel tank is a rectangular structure,welded by six pieces of 2024 aluminum plate with a thickness of 6 mm,and filled with RP-3 aviation kerosene.Experimental results show that the kerosene is ignited by the RMP impact at a velocity above 1062 m/s,and a novel interior ignition phenomenon which is closely related to the rupture effect of the fuel tank is observed.However,the traditional steel projectile with the same mass and dimension requires a velocity up to 1649 m/s to ignite the kerosene.Based on the experimental results,the radial pressure field is considered to be the main reason for the shear failure of weld.For mechanism considerations,the chemical energy released by the RMP enhances the hydrodynamic ram(HRAM)effect and provides additional ignition sources inside the fuel tank,thereby enhancing both rupture and ignition effects.Moreover,to further understand the enhanced ignition effect of RMP,the reactive debris temperature inside the kerosene is analyzed theoretically.The initiated reactive debris with high temperature provides effective interior ignition sources to ignite the kerosene,resulting in the enhanced ignition of the kerosene.

MULTIPOINT BLANK HOLDER FORCE CONTROL IN HYDROFORMING OF FUEL TANK

The study of multipoint blank holder force（BHF） control is carried out for hydroforming a complicated shape motorcycle fuel tank. By finite element method （FEM） simulation, the configuration of multipoint blank holder cylinders and the setting of local BHF are optimized, and the influences of the multipoint BHF on the hydromechanical deep drawing and conventional hydroforming processes are studied. The desired fluid pressure and whole BHF are predicted for hydromechanical deep drawing process. Finally, simulation results are testified by forming experiment, and they are in agreement very well.

Analysis Method of Transient Temperature Field for Fuel Tank ofHigh-Altitude Large UAV

Based on the analysis of factors affecting transient temperature field of aircraft fuel tank and coupled heat transfer mechanism, a mathematical model of transient coupled heat transfer, including the dynamic- change of fuel quality, the internal heat transfer, the external aerodynamic convection and the radiation heat transfer, is established. Taking the aerodynamic convection and radiation heat transfer outside the tank as the third kinds of thermal boundary conditions for the thermal analysis of the fuel tank, calculation of internal and external coupling heat of fuel tank is decoupled. Ther^nal network method combined with hierarchical dynamic- grid is used to deal with the fuel consumption, and carry on the heat transfer analysis of the fuel tank. The numerical method for the transient temperature field of aircraft fuel tank is established. Through the simulation calculation, the transient temperature distribution of the fuel tank under different flight conditions is obtained, and the influence of the fuel mass and the external thermal environment on the temperature field is analyzed.

A Statistical Analysis of the Fuel Tanks＇ Corrosion Loss over Some Aged Bulk Carriers

This paper deals with modeling corrosion wastage over the fuel tanks＇ structures at the exemplar of ten aged bulk carriers. In this paper, employed method might be treated as a long term one, and it is based on Weibull distribution parameters analysis. The purpose of these analyses is optimal assessing of the average corrosion losses for the bulk carriers＇ fuel tanks areas at different points of time during the whole period of the exploitation, due to uprising the structural stability and safety of bulk carriers in operation. Though, the applied approach, among others, might be of particular importance in determining the amounts （percentage/depths） of time-dependent corrosion losses over different areas of aging bulk carriers＇ fuel tanks during the operational circles, with the ultimate goal of keeping stability and safety of these vital vessels＇ structural components.

Safety Assessment of Aircraft Fuel Tank Access Cover under the Impact Load by Tire Fragments

According to relevant airworthiness standards, the aircraft fuel tank access cover must withstand the impact by tire fragments, and minimize the penetration and deformation, which is critical for flight safety. To assess the safety of an aircraft fuel tank access cover subjected to tire fragments, a study of dynamic response was presented in this paper using the Finite element(FE) software ANSYS/LS-DYNA. To obtain the reliable mechanical characteristics of tire tread rubber, a series of material tests have been conducted. Then the proposed rubber material model is validated by comparing the numerical simulations with the experimental results of aluminium alloy plate impact. The simulation results indicate that the rubber fragment and alloy plate will undergo the largest deformation when impact angle is equal to 90°. Finally, the proposed FE model and modelling approaches are extended to the numerical simulation of a full-scale aircraft fuel tank access cover impact. The numerical simulations are carried out with impact velocity of 71.1 m/s and impact angle of 40.5°. The simulation results indicate that the aluminium alloy by precision casting is more likely to rupture, and the middle region of the access cover is vulnerable to fragment impact. This research proposes a reliable rubber model applying to various strain rates. Considering the influence of impact regions, the dynamic response and various failure patterns of fuel tank access cover are acquired. The findings of this paper can be used to improve the future aircraft safety design.

Biodiesel Resistance of Thin Resin Cr-Free Steel Sheets for Fuel Tank

The content of biodiesel mixed with diesel fuel were compared to inspect the fuel resistance of thin resin Cr-free steel sheets, which are widely used as steel sheets of automobile fuel tank. Some additives which can be presented during the process of biodiesel preparation were added for CCT (Cyclic Corrosion Test). These additives can accelerate the occurrence of corrosion. The corrosion was appeared on the coating and painting layer and in serious cases even substrate material was corroded. For methanol, mixing with blended fuel showed the reduction in corroded area as the additive concentration was reduced in the mixed fuel. Especially the peroxide hydrogen showed the strongest corrosiveness. It is known that formic acid has a tendency of weaker corrosiveness than peroxide hydrogen, but the corrosion is occurred throughout the specimen. Water is not mixed well with fuel, and does not seem to impact on corrosion significantly. However, water is easily mixed with other additives and is considered to facilitate the corrosion by other additives.

Experimental study of an aircraft fuel tank inerting system

In this work, a simulated aircraft fuel tank inerting system has been successfully estab- lished based on a model tank. Experiments were conducted to investigate the influences of different operating parameters on the inerting effectiveness of the system, including flow rate of the inert gas （nitrogen-enriched air）, inert gas concentration, fuel load of the tank and different inerting approaches. The experimental results show that under the same operating conditions, the time span of a complete inerting process decreased as the flow rate of inert gas was increased; the time span using the inert gas with 5% oxygen concentration was much longer than that using pure nitrogen; when the fuel tank was inerted using the ullage washing approach, the time span increased as the fuel load was decreased; the ullage washing approach showed the best inerting performance when the time span of a complete inerting process was the evaluation criterion, but when the decrease of dissolved oxygen concentration in the fuel was also considered to characterize the inerting effective- ness, the approach of ullage washing and fuel scrubbing at the same time was the most effective.

Experimental comparison between aircraft fuel tank inerting processes using NEA and MIG

Fuel tank inerting technologies are able to reduce the fire risk by injection of inert gas into the ullage or fuel, the former called ullage washing and the latter fuel scrubbing. The Green On-Board Inert Gas Generation System（GOBIGGS） is a novel technology based on flameless catalytic combustion, and owning to its simple structure and high inerting efficiency, it has received a lot of attentions. The inert gas in the GOBIGGS is mainly comprised of CO2, N2, and O2（hereinafter, Mixed Inert Gas（MIG））, while that in the On-Board Inert Gas Generation System（OBIGGS）, which is one of the most widely used fuel tank inerting technologies, is NitrogenEnriched Air（NEA）. The solubility of CO2 is nearly 20 times higher than that of N2 in jet fuels,so the inerting capability and performance are definitely disparate if the inert gas is selected as NEA or MIG. An inerting test bench was constructed to compare the inerting capabilities between NEA and MIG. Experimental results reveal that, if ullage washing is adopted, the variations of oxygen concentrations on the ullage and in the fuel are nearly identical no matter the inert gas is NEA or MIG. However, the ullage and dissolved oxygen concentrations of MIG scrubbing are always higher than those of NEA scrubbing.

Hydrogen FBG Sensor Using Pd/Ag Film With Application in Propulsion System Fuel Tank Model of Aerospace Vehicle

The high efficiency hydrogen fiber Bragg grating （FBG） sensor is presented. The sensitive film was a new alliance of palladium-silver （Pd-Ag）. In addition, the titanium （Ti） layer was used as the adhesive layer. The presented sensor showed the resolution of more than 60pm/1%H2, and a fast response time of4s - 5s was guaranteed in the 0.1%H2 - 4%H2 range. Moreover, the life time of the sensor was investigated. The obtained results showed that the sensor had an enhanced life time. Furthermore, the sensor was applied in the propulsion system fuel tank model of the aerospace vehicle. The obtained results indicated that it is a prevention system against the disaster aerospace due to hydrogen leakage.

Primary Research on Real-Time Fault Diagnosis Platform for Fuel Tank System of an Aircraft

Sub-tanks in fuel tank systems of aircrafts transfer fuel to engines in certain order. These sub-tanks and attached tank-accessories affect each other, and make fault diagnosis in such systems rather difficult. Without real measured data, this paper analyzes fault modes and fault effects of the fuel tank system, including its tankaccessories, of a given aircraft. Fault model of the system is built theoretically, and fault diagnosis criteria are deduced. Such criteria are then quantified to train a back propagation neural network(BPNN) as fault diagnosis model. To realize fault diagnosis of the real fuel tank system, a real-time fault diagnosis platform based on Lab View and Vx Works to perform this diagnosis method is discussed. This platform is a technical groundwork for fault diagnosis in real fuel tank systems.

Enhanced ignition behavior of reactive material projectiles impacting fuel-filled tank

Reactive material projectiles can be an extremely efficient lethality enhancement technology that incorporates the defeat mechanisms of chemical energy and kinetic energy.This paper presents such a research on the enhanced ignition behavior of reactive material projectiles impacting a fuel-filled tank.Firstly,the ignition process description of the fuel-filled tank impacted by inert metal and reactive material projectiles is presented.Secondly,ballistic impact experiments are performed to investigate the ignition effects of the fuel-filled tank impacted by reactive material versus tungsten alloy projectiles with mass matched.The fuel tank used for the experiments is a cylindrical steel casing structure filled with aviation kerosene and sealed with aluminum cover plates on both ends using screw bolts.The experimental results indicate that,compared with impacts from tungsten alloy projectiles,there is dramatically enhanced structural damage to the fuel-filled tank and an enhanced ignition effect caused by reactive material projectile impacts.Finally,an analytical model is developed,by which the effects of the aluminum cover plate thickness on critical structural failure energy of the fuel-filled tank and the total energy of the reactive material projectile deposited into the fuel-filled tank are discussed.The analysis shows a good agreement with the experiments.

CALCULATION OF FUEL SLOSHING AND ITS COUPLING VIBRATION WITH A TANK

The response of fuel-tank-sloshing to aircraft maneuver is a difficult mathematical problem to be solved. Beginning with setting up the mechanical model and the respective mathematical model, this paper uses both F.E. and B.E.M. to imitate the sloshing process. The paper has developed some special techniques to deal with strong nonlinear characteristics, and provided satisfactory numerical results of displacements and stress for low frequency, resonance, high frequency and fuel tank dynamic response characteristics. The program not only assures convergence and stability of the solution, but also has the function of graphic display. It is a valuable technique to deal with the strong nonlinear oscillation of fuel tank with large amplitude and moving boundary condition on free surface.

大型集装箱船甲醇燃料舱结构设计

针对甲醇作为船舶替代燃料的特点,提出一种适用于大型集装箱船的甲醇燃料舱设计方案,以一艘大型集装箱船为例,采用有限元方法来验证甲醇燃料舱区域的结构强度,同时探讨燃料舱端部节点设计对船体结构强度的影响。为大型集装箱船甲醇燃料舱的结构设计提供参考。

两种直升机多舱油箱惰化系统代偿损失比较

针对某型直升机多舱油箱,设计了冷却空气控温和燃油热沉控温的2种多舱油箱惰化系统。基于AMESim平台搭建了这2种系统模型,研究了这2种系统的控温效果和各舱油箱参数变化规律,并且引入代偿损失指标对这2种系统性能进行评估。仿真结果表明:2种惰化系统均能控制膜前温度维持在90℃;燃油热沉控温的多舱油箱惰化系统在整个飞行过程中,各舱油箱中最高燃油温度小于32℃,没有超过许用限制;对于直升机而言,由于油箱相比大型客机而言体积较小,通过计算可得,冷却空气控温的多舱油箱惰化系统的燃油代偿损失小于燃油热沉控温的多舱油箱惰化系统的燃油代偿损失。仿真结果为多舱油箱惰化系统的设计和优化提供了参考依据。

基于流固耦合的卡车油箱振动特性研究

卡车油箱在使用过程中,存在因振动产生本体及焊缝开裂的问题。针对某400 L卡车柴油油箱,基于流固耦合理论,运用ANSYS软件分析油箱的振动特性。锤击法模态试验和仿真模态分析结果,仿真与试验测得的结构模态参数数据误差最大为13%,仿真的准确性得到验证。油箱结构自由状态下计算得到的前6阶固有频率略大于油箱安装状态下的固有频率,油箱固有频率会随着液体含量的增加而降低。油箱的固有频率在液体量从0到100 L以及300到400 L这两阶段变化明显。油箱充液比低于1/2时,油箱结构的各阶固有频率均高于危险区域的频率,不会产生共振。充液量大于3/4时固有频率接近于30 Hz的标准规定值,存在共振风险。油箱设计时,应优化油箱的结构,使其在充满液量时也能避开30 Hz标准值,更为安全。

飞机燃油箱惰化试验飞行环境模拟系统设计

飞机燃油箱惰化试验是飞机燃油系统安全评估的重要内容。为检验飞机惰化系统设计的正确性以及机载测试设备在飞行环境下的工作可靠性,设计了飞机燃油箱惰化试验飞行环境模拟系统,用于地面开展飞机燃油惰化系统飞行模拟试验。应用所搭建的模拟系统,开展了模拟平飞、爬升、下降等过程的飞机燃油惰化系统试验,检验了新研发的机载燃油箱氧浓度测试设备的性能。结果表明:模拟系统能够提供飞行条件高低温、高低压的油箱外部环境模拟以及含油气、惰化气体、飞行晃动的油箱内部环境模拟,从而为飞机燃油箱惰化系统试验提供有力支撑。

复合材料油箱口盖零件的成型工艺研究

文章以某飞机油箱口盖为研究对象,通过材料设计、密封设计、耐火设计、雷电防火设计,对油箱口盖的复合材料成型工艺进行分析。通过工艺试验,合理选用油箱口盖零件原材料,设计铺层结构,优化工艺参数,采用热压罐成型工艺包括下料、铺贴、封装、固化、脱模、修整等具体过程完成复合材料油箱口盖的成型。

大型机载油箱电位分布与静电击穿仿真研究

低导电性的航空燃油在流经管路阀门等结构时会带有一定量的静电荷,这些静电荷最终会汇入燃油油箱。对于载油量较大的不规则飞机油箱,静电规律的数值计算与试验测量均不便展开。本文采用数值仿真软件COMSOL Multiphysics对油箱在充油过程中静电电位分布、静电放电电位和静电打火能进行仿真计算,并且对油位高度以及初始电荷密度对油箱静电放电及打火可能性的影响进行研究。通过计算充油过程中产生静电放电所需的最小击穿电压和产生静电带有的能量,对油箱内电位是否会引起静电击穿和引燃油箱内混合气体进行分析,为静电引起的油箱爆炸的风险评估提供了一种新思路。

Harmony SE在民用飞机设计中的应用

随着民用飞机技术精细化和产品复杂性的提高,民用飞机设计已从传统的基于文档的系统工程转变为基于模型的系统工程,系统表达也从以文档为中心转变为以模型为中心。为进一步提高民用飞机设计中系统建模的模型质量与正确性,进而缩短设计的开发周期与成本,探究以模型驱动及验证为主导的系统工程方法在民用飞机设计领域的适用性,建立民用飞机设计的系统工程框架,用以支持民用飞机的可靠设计与高效交付。以Harmony SE建模方法为切入点,介绍其工作流程和建模思想;分析民用飞机在系统工程实践中出现的突出问题,说明Harmony SE方法在民用飞机系统工程领域的适用性,建立民用飞机设计的系统工程实践体系;以油箱增压组件为研究对象,应用实践体系开展组件级系统工程实践。结果表明,文中所提出的民用飞机设计系统工程体系和方法能够正确合理地分配设计需求并建立完整的系统模型,有助于提升现阶段民用飞机设计的效率与准确性。