Method of producing reinforced container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557208-B2
Application number	US-201815873555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2018
Priority date	Jan 17, 2018
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A container structure having one or more sections and a method for manufacturing such a structure is provided. Using an additive manufacturing process, a mold material is applied to produce a shaped substrate in the form of the desired sections and/or structure. Multiple reinforcement members are disposed within the substrate and extend between and are at least partially exposed at the inner and outer substrate surfaces. A coating material is applied to the inner and outer substrate surfaces and bonds to the exposed portions of the reinforcement members. The mold material is removed and replaced with another material among the reinforcement members between the substrate coatings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing at least a portion of a reinforced container, comprising:
forming, with a first material via an additive manufacturing process, a shaped substrate having mutually opposed first and second substrate surfaces;
disposing, within the substrate, a plurality of transverse members each of which includes mutually opposed first and second member ends exposed at least partially at the first and second substrate surfaces, respectively;
applying a coating of a second material to the first and second substrate surfaces to form first and second substrate coatings bonded to the first and second member ends, respectively;
removing substantially all of the first material such that the first and second substrate coatings remain in a mutually opposed disposition and define an interior region among the plurality of transverse members between the first and second substrate coatings; and
filling substantially all of the interior region with a third material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first material has a first melting temperature;
the second material has a second melting temperature;
the first melting temperature is lower than the second melting temperature; and
the removing substantially all of the first material comprises heating the first material to at least the first melting temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filling substantially all of the interior region with a third material comprises introducing a fire-resistant foam material into the interior region.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transverse members comprises a grid array.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disposing, within the substrate, a fluid port including mutually opposed first and second port apertures exposed at least partially at the first and second substrate surfaces, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of a reinforced container comprises at least a portion of a reinforced oil container.

7. A method for manufacturing at least a portion of a reinforced container, comprising:
disposing a plurality of columnar members each of which includes mutually opposed first and second member ends;
applying, via an additive manufacturing process, a first material among the plurality of columnar members to form a shaped substrate having mutually opposed first and second substrate surfaces at which the first and second member ends, respectively, are exposed at least partially;
applying a coating of a second material to the first and second substrate surfaces to form first and second substrate coatings bonded to the first and second member ends, respectively;
removing substantially all of the first material such that the first and second substrate coatings remain in a mutually opposed disposition and define an interior region among the plurality of columnar members between the first and second substrate coatings; and
filling substantially all of the interior region with a third material.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the first material has a first melting temperature;
the second material has a second melting temperature;
the first melting temperature is lower than the second melting temperature; and
the removing substantially all of the first material comprises heating the first material to at least the first melting temperature.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the filling substantially all of the interior region with a third material comprises introducing a fire-resistant foam material into the interior region.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of columnar members comprises a grid array.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein said disposing a plurality of columnar members comprises attaching the first end of each one of the plurality of columnar members to a support substrate.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the attaching the first end of each one of the plurality of columnar members to a support substrate comprises attaching the first end of each one of the plurality of columnar members to a flexible sheet material.

13. The method of claim 7 , following the applying, via an additive manufacturing process, a first material among the plurality of columnar members, further comprising detaching the support substrate from the first end of each one of the plurality of columnar members.

14. The method of claim 7 , further comprising disposing a fluid port including mutually opposed first and second port apertures, wherein the applying, via an additive manufacturing process, a first material further comprises applying the first material about the fluid port such that the first and second port apertures are exposed at least partially at the first and second substrate surfaces, respectively.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least a portion of a reinforced container comprises at least a portion of a reinforced oil container.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Gebhard John
• Schetzel Doug

Classifications

• B29C64/10

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C33/52

  soluble or fusible {(in particular used in injection moulding B29C45/4457)} · CPC title

• C25D1/02

  Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C41/40

  Cores · CPC title