Researchers from the Mechanics of Composites for Energy and Mobility Laboratory (MCEM) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Wagih, Hassan Mahmoud and Karim Chouchen, had the opportunity to conduct in situ tests at the SESAME synchrotron light source in Allan, Jordan. Thanks to a SESAME grant, they were able to observe in real time the behaviour of thin-ply CF/PA6 composites under mechanical loads, simulating the conditions of use of type V hydrogen tanks. “A heartfelt thank you to SESAME for enabling this groundbreaking research and to KAUST for its continued support in advancing cutting-edge materials science, ” said Karim Chouchen.

“Leveraging SESAME’s powerful beamline capabilities, we were able to observe, in real time, the behaviour of thin-ply CF/PA6 composites under mechanical loading for the Type V hydrogen storage tank. These results provide critical insights that bring us a step closer to developing next-generation, high-performance hydrogen storage systems,” commented Ahmed Wagih. These observations improve our understanding of the mechanisms of material deformation and failure, which is essential for designing safer and more efficient hydrogen tanks.

A laboratory dedicated to energy transition

Created in 2009 within KAUST’s Division of Physical Science and Engineering, MCEM combines numerical modelling and experimentation in an interdisciplinary environment. Its mission is to “support energy transition by providing innovative composite solutions or optimising the use of existing solutions in demanding energy and mobility applications.” The laboratory’s research covers the design of materials in representative environments, the manipulation of microstructures and the structural health monitoring (SHM) of composites.\