Novel textile moisture sensors based on multi-layered braiding constructions offer attractive monitoring possibilities for many application fields of e-textiles (electronic textiles), especially for ambient air, which is the main focus of this work. In this paper the theoretical foundations and the production, as well as the procedural, mechanical and humidity tests on newly developed, textile-based sensors for moisture measurement are described. The sensor, which is based on a capacitive measurement principle, was tested in environments ranging from 22% to 94% relative humidity. Within this range, the electrical capacitance of the sensors changed up to 135% of the base capacitance, giving it a very high sensitivity.

The investigations deal with the experimental characterization of the structural deformation of type IV pressure vessels subjected to internal pressure. For the widespread use of hydrogen technology in transport industries, the development of cost-effective storage systems is a crucial step. State of the art in the field of hydrogen storage are type IV pressure vessels, which consist of a polymeric liner and an enforcing winding of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). For the development of material-optimized and high-safety pressure vessels, the acquisition of reliable experimental data in order to validate numerical simulations is a necessity. In a specially designed test chamber subscale vessels are clamped and subjected to internal pressure. At defined pressure stages the vessel’s deformation is recorded and analyzed. Consequently, the overall structural deformation is assessed with regard to the used structural mass, the burst pressure and the resulting failure. The results can be used for structure optimization purposes as well as for the optimization of numerical simulation models.