Finite Element Analysis Of A Helicopter Pressurized Composite Reserve Fuel Tank

Helicopters are known to suffer fuel starvation during sharp maneuvers due to the centripetal forces that may pull fuel away from the fuel lines. To overcome this problem a composite reserve ferry fuel tank is proposed. The tank is pressurized to allow the fuel flow based on pressure difference, instead of gravity. Carbon fiber reinforced composite material is chosen because of its high strength to weight ratio compared to other metals such as aluminum. The design of this tank is optimized using a commercial program (PROMAL) in terms of strength and ply angle taking into account the Maximum Strain failure criterion and a crash resistance factor of safety. The design was also based on filament winding manufacturing technique. Abaqus® finite element analysis program was used to verify the design in terms of stresses and strains which showed that the chosen ply angle, number of plies and type of material was able to successfully withstand the ultimate design pressure and was in good agreement with PROMAL optimization program.