The objectives of the ACTIonRCraft project are to design, develop and manufacture seven anti-crash lightweight fuel bladder tanks which will integrate for the very first time ASY robust, light and ecofriendly innovative technologies:
ASY functionalized liner,
ASY lighter fabric,
ASY solvents without pictogram
These anti-crash lightweight fuel bladder tanks with limited environmental footprint will be tested, verified and validated for the high speed compound helicopter.
We have developed Seven fuel tanks with the new light weight tank wall.
The tank wall is made of a functionalized liner and a textile fabric.
A new generation of functionalized liner (without any solvent for the production) has been studied but is not included in the new tank wall right know because the development is not ended.
However a patent is ongoing covering the new generation of functionalized liner.
A new textile reinforcement has been developed in this project.
The anti-crash resistant fabrics are usually made of polyamide. For this project a new fiber type choice has been identified and used. The weaving of the fabric has been optimized so has to achieved the mechanical properties required.
For the hand making of the fuel tank we usually use MEK “Methyl Ethyl Ketone” solvent.
The use of MEK is widespread in the rubber industry.
MEK solvent is of concern for VOC emissions in the environment is highly flammable and is irritating for operators.
A new solvent has been identified and qualified up to TRL6 with no pictogram and no VOC (max 0,01 KPa at 20°C).
This new solvent has been used for the making of the 7 tanks of the RACER.
We plan to implement this new solvent in serial production for making fuel tanks. The qualification of this new solvent for current production is ongoing.
This will be a real improvement regarding the environmental impact of the VOC emission in production and for operators health concerns.
The ActionRCraft project is still going on with the StrongRCraft project which is for us the implementation of the complete fuel systems in the RACER demonstrator.
This will permit to experiment in services (including real flight test) the new fuel tanks solutions developed in ActionRCraft project.
