Additive manufactured combustible element with fuel and oxidizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10093592-B2
Application number	US-201514729429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2015
Priority date	Jun 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A combustible element includes regions of fuel material interspersed with regions of oxidizer material. The element may be made by additive manufacturing processes, such as three-dimensional printing, with the fuel material regions and the oxidizer material regions placed in appropriate locations in layer of the combustible element. For example, different extruders may be used to extrude and deposit portions of a fuel filament and an oxidizer filament at different locations in each layer of the combustible element. The combustible element may define a combustion chamber within the element, where combustion occurs when the combustible element is ignited. The fuel material and the oxidizer material may be selected, and their relative amounts may be controlled, such that desired relative amounts of fuel and oxidizer are present for combustion with desired characteristics, such as combustion rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combustible element comprises:
fuel; and
oxidizer;
wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are interspersed in discrete separate regions within a single solid element;
wherein the combustible element defines a combustion chamber therewithin where combustion of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs upon ignition of the fuel and the oxidizer; and
wherein the separate regions make up a rectangular matrix of regularly-ordered fuel regions and oxidizer regions, with alternating fuel regions and oxidizer regions.

2. The combustible element of claim 1 ,
wherein the regions include:
fuel regions that contain the fuel; and
oxidizer regions that contain the oxidizer; and

wherein the oxidizer regions also contain a continuous material that acts as a binder.

3. The combustible element of claim 1 , wherein the element is produced by an additive manufacturing process.

4. The combustible element of claim 1 , wherein the fuel includes a first thermoplastic continuous material, with a metal additive.

5. The combustible element of claim 1 , wherein the oxidizer includes a second thermoplastic continuous material, with an oxidizer additive.

6. The combustible element of claim 5 , wherein the oxidizer additive includes beads of oxidizer material within the second thermoplastic continuous material.

7. The combustible element of claim 5 , wherein the oxidizer additive includes droplets of oxidizer material within the second thermoplastic continuous material.

8. The combustible element of claim 1 , wherein the fuel-to-oxidizer ratio varies within the solid element, thereby producing one or more of variations in burn rate, or variation of combustion temperature.

9. A combustible element comprises:
fuel; and
oxidizer;
wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are interspersed in discrete separate regions, in layers within a single solid element, with alternating fuel regions and oxidizer regions in each of the layers; and
wherein the combustible element defines a combustion chamber therewithin where combustion of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs upon ignition of the fuel and the oxidizer.

10. The combustible element of claim 9 , wherein the fuel regions and the oxidizer regions are in a matrix within each of the layers, alternating in a pair of perpendicular directions.

11. The combustible element of claim 9 ,
wherein the regions include:
fuel regions that contain the fuel; and
oxidizer regions that contain the oxidizer; and

wherein the oxidizer regions also contain a continuous material that acts as a binder.

12. The combustible element of claim 9 , wherein the element is produced by an additive manufacturing process.

13. The combustible element of claim 9 , wherein the fuel includes a first thermoplastic continuous material, with a metal additive.

14. The combustible element of claim 9 , wherein the oxidizer includes a second thermoplastic continuous material, with an oxidizer additive.

15. The combustible element of claim 14 , wherein the oxidizer additive includes beads of oxidizer material within the second thermoplastic continuous material.

16. The combustible element of claim 14 , wherein the oxidizer additive includes droplets of oxidizer material within the second thermoplastic continuous material.

17. The combustible element of claim 9 , wherein the fuel-to-oxidizer ratio varies within the solid element, thereby producing one or more of variations in burn rate, or variation of combustion temperature.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Danforth Jeremy C
• Langhenry Mark T
• Summers Matt H
• Perdue Teresa

Classifications

• C06B21/0033

  Shaping the mixture · CPC title

• F02K9/12 Primary

  made of two or more portions burning at different rates {or having different characteristics} · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• F05D2230/31

  Layer deposition · CPC title

• C06B45/10 Primary

  the organic component containing a resin · CPC title