Advancing Hydrogen Storage in Aviation: Stress State of Discretely Loaded All-Composite Double-Walled Vacuum-Insulated Cryo-Compressed Vessels

Abstract

Hydrogen is a promising candidate for achieving aviation sustainability, but storage aboard aircraft presents significant challenges. All-composite, double-walled, vacuum-insulated cryo-compressed storage vessels offer a potential solution by achieving high volumetric and gravimetric efficiencies. Load transfer connections between the tank's shells and the surrounding structure introduce concentrated loads in the composite shells. This work develops analytical models to characterize the stress state in composite shells under discrete in-plane loading, showing how stress concentrations decay and how laminate selection influences the decay rate. Discrepancies between the analytical and numerical models are noted, with suggestions for improving both. Additionally, the current model’s limitations due to the number of roots obtained from the governing equations are addressed by proposing additional boundary conditions. This research supports the structural and thermal analysis of composite hydrogen storage vessels, aiding the adoption of hydrogen as a sustainable aviation fuel.