Design and Finite Element Modeling of a High Energy Density Strain Energy Accumulator

Abstract

This thesis provides an overview of the design and modeling of a hydraulic strain energy accumulator made out of an elastomeric material. The document first presents the theory and reasoning behind the design and fabrication of such a device. Next in the manuscript is a description of low-pressure prototype testing and discussion of the associated relevant findings. Then, the document expounds on the difficulties of modeling the behavior of a full-scale prototype of said device; a solution is subsequently offered by presenting full-scale behavior simulation results obtained with the use of the ABAQUS finite element analysis software package.

The thesis is concluded with a description of future work aimed at increasing model fidelity and creating an experimental setup suitable for testing the performance of the first full-scale strain energy accumulators.