Lift off at AFRC for space propellant tank project

During the two-year project Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) will use its expertise in forming and forging to advise Airbus Defence and Space – which buys its fuel tanks from Germany or the US - on advanced manufacturing methods for the tanks.

Dr Jill Miscandlon, project leader at AFRC, said: “A tank is generally made of two hemispherical domes and a cylindrical section. The parts are forged, heat-treated and machined down to the required final thickness before they are welded together. They are very thin structures and machining them down from the original thickness results in significant material waste, in addition to the high cost of the machining.

"Over the past four months, we’ve been looking at methods of achieving near net-shape manufacture, at the same time maintaining the material properties because in space it has to be structurally sound.

“The tanks must be strong enough to store propellant, such as Hydrazine or Xenon gas, under high pressure during a mission’s lifetime, which could be more than 25 years. At the same time, for some un-controlled re-entry LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite platforms, upon return, they should vaporize upon meeting the upper atmosphere so not to present a risk to people and facilities on Earth.”