Apparatus and method for outer surface enhancement and compaction of an object using glass failure generated pulses in an explosive arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10760145-B1
Application number	US-201715720033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus and method for treatment of articles, using glass failure generated pulses. The apparatus and method is directed towards the hardening and compaction of a glass-covered elongated object that is impacted by a flyer plate having a shape that is complimentary to that of the elongated object. The flyer plate is propelled by, an explosive reaction to create the impact on the glass-covered elongated object. This results in an explosive reaction that pressure-treats the elongated object, thereby causing the hardening and compaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for hardening and compacting an elongated object, the system comprising:
a confinement assembly comprising:
an elongated object having an upper surface;
a glass sheet contacting and covering the upper surface of the elongated object, the glass sheet having an upper glass surface; and
a rigid outer shell encasing the glass sheet and the elongated object therewithin, wherein the rigid outer shell is open at the top so that the upper glass surface is exposed;

a striker assembly comprising;
a flyer plate having a flyer plate top surface, and a flyer plate bottom surface, wherein the flyer plate bottom surface is complementary with the upper glass surface of the glass sheet; and
an explosive composition attached to at least a portion of the flyer plate top surface, wherein the flyer plate is positioned so that when the explosive composition is ignited, the flyer plate strikes the glass sheet of the confinement assembly, shattering the glass of the glass sheet to create an explosive volume expansion of the glass, which due to the glass being trapped between the flyer plate and the confinement assembly, results in compressive forces being applied to the surface of the elongated object, thereby hardening and compacting the elongated object.

2. The system for surface hardening and compacting an elongated object of claim 1 , wherein the striker assembly is positioned at an angle Θ with respect to the confinement assembly.

3. The system for surface hardening and compacting an elongated object of claim 2 , wherein each of the flyer plate, the glass sheet, and the elongated object, is flat.

4. The system for surface hardening and compacting an elongated object of claim 3 , wherein the elongated object comprises a polymer membrane filled with a powdered material.

5. The system for surface hardening and compacting an elongated object of claim 4 , wherein said powdered material comprises one or more of; boron nitride alumina, and silicon carbide, cobalt and nickel.

6. The system for surface hardening and compacting an elongated object of claim 2 , wherein each of the flyer plate, the glass sheet, and the elongated object; has a cylindrical curvature.

7. A method of hardening and compacting an elongated object, the method comprising:
providing a confinement assembly comprising:
an elongated object having an upper surface;

a glass sheet contacting and covering the upper surface of the elongated object, the glass sheet having an upper glass surface; and
a rigid outer shell encasing the glass sheet and the elongated object therewithin, wherein the rigid outer shell is open at the top so that the upper glass surface is exposed;

providing a striker assembly comprising:
a flyer plate having a flyer plate top surface, and a flyer plate bottom surface, wherein the flyer plate bottom surface is complementary with the upper glass surface of the glass sheet; and
an explosive composition attached to at least a portion of the flyer plate top surface;

igniting the explosive composition, so that the flyer plate strikes the glass sheet of the confinement assembly, thereby creating an explosive expansion of the glass, wherein due to the limited space between the flyer plate and the confinement assembly, compressive forces are created and applied to the surface of the elongated object, thereby accomplishing said hardening and compacting of the elongated object.

8. The method of surface hardening and compacting of claim 7 , further including, positioning the striker assembly at an angle Θ with respect to the confinement assembly, said positioning of the striker assembly and said ignition of the explosive combination allowing the flyer plate to impact the glass sheet at velocities between 700 feet per second to about 20,000 feet per second, so that upon impact, one or more of the following occurs:
a. multiple cracks form in the glass sheet so that the volume occupied by glass trapped between the flyer plate; the rigid open outer shell, and the elongated object increases as the cracks rupture and expand;
b. failure waves propagate through the glass sheet with large amount of kinetic energy stored ahead of the waves;
c. the glass sheet develops at least one of coesite, stishovite, or seifertite which rupture and convert to an amorphous state through a volume change;

so that the occurrences of one or more of a, b, or c, creates said explosive volume expansion of the glass, which results in said compressive forces being applied to the elongated object.

Assignees

• Dudt Philip
• Barsoum Roshdy George
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Dudt Philip
• Barsoum Roshdy George

Classifications

• C21D10/00 Primary

  Modifying the physical properties by methods other than heat treatment or deformation · CPC title

• B21D26/00

  Shaping without cutting otherwise than using rigid devices or tools or yieldable or resilient pads, i.e. applying fluid pressure or magnetic forces (stamping using resilient pads B21D22/10) · CPC title