Optimal design of the type III hydrogen storage tank for different carbon/epoxy materials by modified differential evolution method

Abstract

In this study, the main objective is to minimize the failure index of a cylindrical laminated composite hydrogen storage tank under internal pressure. The first step is to obtain the distribution of stress components based on Classical Laminated Plate Theory (CLPT). The second is to evaluate the burst pressure of the tank according to three different first ply failure criteria and then to compare the results with the experimental and numerical ones from literature. In the final part of the study, the best possible combination of winding angles, stacking sequences and thicknesses of laminates satisfying minimum possible stress concentration will be obtained for different Carbon/Epoxy materials by Differential Evolution Method. The stress components and, the burst pressures reached according to Hashin-Rotem, Maximum Stress, and Tsai-Wu first-ply failure criteria, have been complied with experimental and numerical results in the literature for Type III pressure vessels. Manufacturable Type-III tank designs have been proposed satisfying the 35 MPa burst pressure for different Carbon/Epoxy materials.