Duct fabricated with additive manufacturing and having one or more curves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10428977-B2
Application number	US-201816024426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

Curvilinear ducts manufactured by depositing one or more runs of material in a conjoined helix, a conjoined plurality of conjoined planar spirals, and a plurality of conjoined conical spirals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A duct with a duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t) described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (d)} ( t )=< a ( t ), b ( t ), c ( t )>,

the duct comprising:
a run of material having (i) a solid cross-section and (ii) a longitudinal axis {right arrow over (r)}(s) running through the solid cross-section and described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (r)} ( s )=< f ( s ), g ( s ), h ( s )>

that forms a helix around the duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t);
wherein the duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t) is characterized by a curvature κ(t) and a center of curvature {right arrow over (p)}(t) described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (p)} ( t )=<α( t ), β( t ), γ( t )>;

wherein the curvature κ(t)>0;
wherein the run of material is characterized by a conjoining axis j(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s) such that j(t)∝∥{right arrow over (r)}(s)−{right arrow over (p)}(t)∥; and
wherein t is a real number in the domain t: [t 1 , t 2 ] and s is a real number in the domain s: [s 1 , s 2 ].

2. The duct of claim 1 wherein the run of material has an isolating axis i(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s) such that i(t)∝∥{right arrow over (r)}(s)−{right arrow over (p)}(t)∥.

3. The duct of claim 1 wherein the run of material has an isolating axis i(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s) that is constant.

4. The duct of claim 1 wherein the evolute of {right arrow over (d)}(t) is a non-planar space curve over the interval [t 1 , t 2 ].

5. The duct of claim 1 wherein the helix is a circular helix.

6. The duct of claim 1 wherein the range of j(t) is between 0.1 millimeters and 0.5 millimeters.

7. The duct of claim 1 wherein the run of material is chopped-fiber reinforced thermoplastic.

8. A duct with a duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t) described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (d)} ( t )=< a ( t ), b ( t ), c ( t )>,

the duct comprising:
a run of material having a longitudinal axis {right arrow over (r)}(s,k) described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (r)} ( s,k )=< f ( s,k ), g ( s,k ), h ( s,k )>

that forms a first stack of planar spirals, comprising a first planar spiral around the duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t);
wherein the first planar spiral is a rectangular-with-rounded-corners planar spiral;
wherein the duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t) is characterized by a curvature κ(t) and a center of curvature {right arrow over (p)}(t) described by the vector function:
{right arrow over (p)} ( t )=<α( t ), β( t ), γ( t )>

wherein the curvature κ(t)>0;
wherein the run of material is characterized by a conjoining axis j(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s,k) such that j(t)∝∥{right arrow over (r)}(s,k)−{right arrow over (p)}(t)∥; and
wherein t is a real number in the domain t: [t 1 , t 2 ], s is a real number in the domain s: [s 1 , s 2 ], and k is an integer.

9. The duct of claim 8 wherein the run of material has an isolating axis i(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s,k) such that i(t)∝∥{right arrow over (r)}(s,k)−{right arrow over (p)}(t)∥.

10. The duct of claim 8 wherein the run of material has an isolating axis i(t) at {right arrow over (r)}(s,k) that is constant.

11. The duct of claim 8 wherein the first planar spiral is a conjoined planar spiral.

12. The duct of claim 8 wherein the first stack of planar spirals further comprises a second planar spiral around the duct axis {right arrow over (d)}(t), wherein the first planar spiral and the second planar spiral are conjoined with each other.

13. The duct of claim 8 wherein a second stack of planar spirals is further formed, wherein the first stack of planar spirals and the second stack of planar spirals are conjoined with each other.

14. The duct of claim 8 wherein the range of j(t) is between 0.1 millimeters and 0.5 millimeters.

Assignees

• Arevo Inc

Inventors

• Korobkov Andrei

Classifications

• B29K2101/12

  Thermoplastic materials · CPC title

• B29C64/386

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• H04N1/40

  Picture signal circuits (H04N1/387 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C64/112

  using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads · CPC title