In the aircraft industry, the high-strength aluminum alloys AA7075 and AA2024 are extensively used for the manufacture of structural parts like stringers and skins, respectively. Additive manufacturing (AM) of the AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy via friction stir deposition to build continuously multilayered parts on a substrate of AA2024-T4 aluminum has not been attempted so far. Accordingly, the present work aimed to explore the applicability of building multilayers of AA7075-T6 alloy on a substrate sheet of AA2024-T4 alloy via the additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) technique and to optimize the deposition process parameters. The experiments were conducted over a wide range of feed rates (1–5 mm/min) and rotation speeds (200–1000 rpm). The axial deposition force and the thermal cycle were recorded. The heat input to achieve the AFSD was calculated. The AA7075 AFSD products were evaluated visually on the macroscale. The microstructures were also investigated utilizing an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an advanced EDS technique. As well as the presence phases, the mechanical performance of the deposited materials in terms of hardness and compressive strength was also examined. The results showed that the efficiency of the deposition process was closely related to the amount of heat generated, which was governed by the feeding rate, the rotational speed, and the downward force. AA7075 defect-free continuously multilayered parts were produced without any discontinuity defects at the interface with the substrate at deposition conditions of 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm/min and a constant 400 rpm consumable rod rotation speed (CRRS). The additively deposited AA7075-T6 layers exhibited a refined grain structure and uniformly distributed fragment precipitates compared to the base material (BM). The gain size decreased from 25 µm ± 4 for the AA7075-T6 BM to 1.75 µm ± 0.41 and 3.75 µm ± 0.78 for the AFSD materials fabricated at 1 and 4 mm/min deposition feeding rates, respectively, at 400 rpm/min. Among the feeding rates used, the 3 mm/min and 400 rpm rod rotation speed produced an AA7075 deposited part possessing the highest average hardness of 165 HV ± 5 and a compressive strength of 1320 MPa.

Transportation relies heavily on petroleum products, forcing the adoption of alternative energy sources like hydrogen. Hydrogen is considered the cleanest fuel for the twenty-first century due to its water-based combustion and no CO₂ emissions. However, challenges persist in production, utilization, and storage; employing composite material-based high-pressure storage vessels is increasing in the hydrogen storage sector. The paper analyzes the impact of the winding angles on the mechanical performance of the filament wound Type 4 composite pressure vessels (CPVs) for compressed hydrogen gas storage at 70 MPa. This work examines the individual winding angles and combined angles winding patterns to promote the efficiency of Type 4 CPVs by achieving maximum burst pressure, ensuring safe burst mode, and reducing CPV weight by applying maximum principal stress theory with the aid of the Ansys ACP Prep/Post and static modules. The weight and burst pressure of CPVs are significantly influenced by fiber orientation; a combination of positive and negative helical winding angles promotes higher burst pressure at a lower weight. A hoop angle and intermediate helical angles can be combined to create high-efficiency CPVs that provide mechanical performance comparable to that of a combination of high and low helical angles. Finally, a one-factor-at-a-time (OAT) sensitivity analysis was performed to determine how the winding angle and the thicknesses of layers affect the CPVs' performance. It was found that the performance of the CPVs is significantly influenced by the thicknesses of the wound layers.

The interest in hydrogen is rapidly expanding because of rising greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of fossil resources. The current work focuses on employing affordable Al alloys for hydrogen production and storage to identify the most efficient alloy that performs best in each situation. In the first part of this work, hydrogen was generated from water electrolysis. The Al alloys that are being examined as electrodes in a water electrolyzer are 1050-T0, 5052-T0, 6061-T0, 6061-T6, 7075-T0, 7075-T6, and 7075-T7. The flow rate of hydrogen produced, energy consumption, and electrolyzer efficiency were measured at a constant voltage of 9 volts to identify the Al alloy that produces a greater hydrogen flow rate at higher process efficiency. The influence of the electrode surface area and water electrolysis temperature were also studied. The second part of this study examines these Al alloys’ resistance to hydrogen embrittlement for applications involving compressed hydrogen gas storage, whether they are utilized as the primary vessel in Type 1 pressure vessels or as liners in Type 2 or Type 3 pressure vessels. Al alloys underwent electrochemical charging by hydrogen and Charpy impact testing, after which a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the fracture surfaces of both uncharged and H-charged specimens. The structural constituents of the studied alloys were examined using X-ray diffraction analysis and were correlated to the alloys’ performance. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the water electrolysis temperature, electrode surface area, and electrode material type ranked from the highest to lowest in terms of their influence on improving the efficiency of the hydrogen production process. The 6061-T0 Al alloy demonstrated the best performance in both hydrogen production and storage applications at a reasonable material cost.

Satellites are used for navigation, communication, oceanography, astronomy, etc.. Satellites come in a diversity of sizes and forms. Depending on the satellite’s mission, different subsystems are used. These subsystems are installed inside a housing to protect them from the space environment. This housing, which is also known as the satellite primary structure or mechanical structure, is made of durable materials that can endure severe conditions during launch and in the orbit. The optimisation of satellite mass is crucial right now since satellites are losing mass every day to reduce the cost of manufacturing and launching. This review first introduces an overview of the satellite classifications and subsystems. Then, the different types of mechanical load analysis the satellite subjects itself to are demonstrated. The advanced approaches for promoting the performance of the mechanical structures of satellites are explored, with a spotlight on the effect of the optimisation parameters of isogrid and honeycomb sandwich structures on the mechanical performance of the satellite primary structure. The assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of the small satellite are briefly presented. Finally, the important potential designs to improve the mechanical performance of the satellite primary structure and the challenges of further research are summarised.