Tank for storing pressurized gas
First Claim
1. A fuel tank for a vehicle powered by a gas to be stored within the fuel tank at high pressure comprising:
- a three dimensional tank composite wall structure made of a fibrous material, the tank wall structure having an interior, an exterior surface, and a plurality of pairs of walls;
a plurality of sets of continuous, fibrous bundles, each of the plurality of sets of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repetitive patternover the exterior surface of the wall structure,through the fibrous material of one wall of one of the plurality of pairs of walls,through the interior of the tank,through the fibrous material of the other wall of the one of the plurality of pairs of walls, andover the exterior surface of the wall structure; and
a matrix material joining the fibrous material walls and portions of the fibrous bundles extending over the exterior surfaces of the wall structure, the tank composite wall structure comprising the fibrous material and the portions of the fibrous bundles joined by the matrix material.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A tank for storing a pressurized gas including walls of a layered material 15 and continuous fibrous bundles of fibers (16) woven through the walls of layered material (15). The continuous fibrous bundles (16 and FIG. 8) have first ends (17) that extend over a first wall of material (15), pass through the first wall of material (15), extend through the interior of the tank (11 ), pass through another wall of the material (15) and have second ends (17) that extend over the other wall of the material (15). Other bundles of fibers (18, 20) can be woven between different walls of the tank (11) in a similar pattern to produce complex three dimensional shapes (FIGS. 3-8).
49 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A fuel tank for a vehicle powered by a gas to be stored within the fuel tank at high pressure comprising:
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a three dimensional tank composite wall structure made of a fibrous material, the tank wall structure having an interior, an exterior surface, and a plurality of pairs of walls; a plurality of sets of continuous, fibrous bundles, each of the plurality of sets of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repetitive pattern over the exterior surface of the wall structure, through the fibrous material of one wall of one of the plurality of pairs of walls, through the interior of the tank, through the fibrous material of the other wall of the one of the plurality of pairs of walls, and over the exterior surface of the wall structure; and a matrix material joining the fibrous material walls and portions of the fibrous bundles extending over the exterior surfaces of the wall structure, the tank composite wall structure comprising the fibrous material and the portions of the fibrous bundles joined by the matrix material. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A tank for storing a gas under pressure comprising:
a three dimensional tank composite wall structure made of first and second walls of fibrous material and bounding an interior of the tank and an exterior surface of a respective wall; a first set of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repeating pattern over the exterior surface of the first wall, through the fibrous material of the first wall, through the interior of the tank, through the fibrous material of the second wall, and over the exterior surface of the second wall; and a matrix material joining the fibrous material walls and portions of the fibrous bundles extending over the exterior surfaces of the walls, the tank composite wall structure comprising the fibrous material and the portions of the fibrous bundles joined by the matrix material. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A fuel tank for a vehicle powered by natural gas to be stored within the fuel tank at high pressure comprising:
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a three dimensional tank composite wall structure made of a fibrous material, the tank wall structure having an interior, an exterior surface, a first pair of opposed walls, a second pair of opposed walls generally perpendicular to the first pair of opposed walls, and a third pair of opposed walls generally perpendicular to the first and the second pairs of opposed walls; a first set of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repetitive pattern over the exterior surface of the wall structure, through the fibrous material of one of the first pair of opposed walls, through the interior of the tank, through the fibrous material of the other of the first pair of opposed walls, and over the exterior surface of the wall structure; a second set of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repetitive pattern over the exterior surface of the wall structure, through the fibrous material of one of the second pair of opposed walls, through the interior of the tank, through the fibrous material of the other of the second pair of opposed walls, and over the exterior surface of the wall structure; a third set of continuous, fibrous bundles extending in a repetitive pattern over the exterior surface of the wall structure, through the fibrous material of one of the third pair of opposed walls, through the interior of the tank, through the fibrous material of the other of the third pair of opposed walls, and over the exterior surface of the wall structure; and a matrix material joining the fibrous material walls and portions of the fibrous bundles extending over the exterior surfaces of the wall structure, the tank composite wall structure comprising the fibrous material and the portions of the fibrous bundles joined by the matrix material.
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Specification