Air Droppable Fuel Containers

Overview

The United States Military ground forces and their allies operate in remote regions where a traditional supply chain is not available. Ready Containment has been contracted with the Department of Defense to create a new fuel container that can be safely dropped from a fixed wing aircraft.

Objectives

• Air drop tests fuel container prototypes successfully.
• Simulate drops tests using LS Dyna modelling software.
• Continue efforts to improve sponsor satisfaction.

Approach

• The team used whiteboarding method to develop and evaluate concepts.
• Military specifications were used to justify engineering specifications.
• Virtual team meetings were held to gather and share information.
• Created models to be used for LS Dyna modelling software.
• Concept prototypes were used to make Ready Containment Prototypes.
• Ready Containment performed multiple drop tests using testing criteria.
• The team used hand calculations to validate the results of LS Dyna.
• The LS Dyna model was validated by comparing maximum stress to the material strength.

Outcomes

• The prototype drops tests did not show evidence of externally having broken hardware and separation of component layers on the bladder body.
• The project sponsor was satisfied with the progress in developing an air droppable fuel container.
• A strong foundation for future development from video drops tests and computer aided simulations.