Method of making atomic number (Z) grade small SAT radiation shielding vault

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11043311-B2
Application number	US-201916578981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2019
Priority date	Apr 10, 2017
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A radiation shielded vault structure includes a rigid outer structure comprising a plurality of rigid structural components that are interconnected at elongated joints to define an interior space. The structural components include a layer of lower atomic number (Z) material such as aluminum alloy and one or more layers of higher atomic number (Z) material titanium and/or tantalum. The vault structure may include radiation shield members extending along the elongated joints to provide radiation shielding at the elongated joints. The shield members comprise a higher atomic number (Z) material such as titanium or tantalum. The rigid structural components may comprise plate members that are interconnected along side edges thereof. End plates may be attached to the plate members to close off the interior space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation shielded vault structure comprising:
a rigid outer structure comprising at least first and second rigid structural components that are interconnected at elongated joints to define an interior space, wherein each of the first and second rigid structural components have inner and outer sides and comprise a layer of a first material having a lower atomic number, and a layer of a second material having a higher atomic number, wherein:
the first material comprises aluminum alloy, and the second material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium and tantalum, such that the first and second rigid structural components comprise a layer of aluminum alloy on the outer side, a layer of titanium bonded to the layer of aluminum alloy, and a layer of tantalum on the inner side that is bonded to the layer of titanium, and
the aluminum alloy has a thickness of 0.055 inches-0.188 inches, and the layer of tantalum has a thickness of 0.010 inches-0.060 inches; and

shield members extending along the elongated joints to provide radiation shielding at the elongated joints, wherein the shield members comprise a higher atomic number material.

2. The radiation shielded structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the rigid outer structure provides at least 3 g/cm 2 areal density shielding.

3. The radiation shielded structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the shield members comprise a material selected from the group consisting of titanium and tantalum.

4. The radiation shield structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the rigid outer structure includes at least one feedthrough opening to permit elongated components to pass through the rigid outer structure, and including:
a radiation shielding member extending over the at least one feedthrough opening and preventing a line of site radiation path through the feedthrough opening, wherein the radiation shielding member and the feedthrough opening form a passageway providing access to the interior space from outside the vault structure.

5. The radiation shield structure of claim 4 , wherein:
the first and second rigid structural components form opposite ends of the rigid outer structure;
the rigid outer structure includes end plates at each opposite end that are connected to the first and second rigid structural components, and wherein at least one end plate has a feedthrough opening therethrough, and wherein a radiation shielding member is attached to the at least one end plate and extends over the feedthrough opening.

6. The radiation shielded structure of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first and second rigid structural components is generally U-shaped in cross section.

7. The radiation shielded structure of claim 6 , wherein:
each of the first and second rigid structural components includes a central wall portion and a pair of extension walls extending transversely from the central wall portion and defining elongated end edges, wherein the end edges of the first rigid structural component are connected to the end edges of the second rigid structural component to form first and second elongated joints; and
wherein first and second shield members extend along the first and second elongated joints, respectively.

8. The radiation shielded structure of claim 7 , wherein:
the rigid outer structure has four planar outer side faces that are formed by the first and second rigid structural components.

9. The radiation shielded structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second rigid structural components comprise four generally rectangular plates that are interconnected along opposite side edges thereof to form four elongated joints and elongated inner corners at each elongated joint;
at least one shield member is disposed at each inner corner.

10. The radiation shielded structure of claim 9 , wherein:
the inner corners comprise orthogonal inner surface portions of the rectangular plates; and
the shield members have orthogonal outer surfaces that fit against the orthogonal inner surface portions.

11. The radiation shielded structure of claim 7 , wherein:
the layers of the first material adjacent side edges of the rectangular plates overlap at the elongated joints and prevent line of site radiation through the elongated joints to a center of the interior space.

12. The radiation shielded structure of claim 11 , wherein:
each side edge of each rectangular plate includes an elongated groove and an elongated protrusion and wherein the elongated protrusions of each side edge engages an elongated groove in an adjacent side edge.

13. A radiation shielded vault structure comprising:
a rigid outer structure comprising at least first and second rigid structural components that are interconnected at elongated joints to define an interior space, wherein each of the first and second rigid structural components have inner and outer sides and comprise a layer of a first material having a lower atomic number, and a layer of a second material having a higher atomic number;
shield members extending along the elongated joints to provide radiation shielding at the elongated joints, wherein the shield members comprise a higher atomic number material; and
card mounting structures on the inner sides of the rigid structural components, wherein the card mounting structures are configured to support a plurality of electrical cards in a parallel, stacked configuration in the interior space.

14. The radiation shielded structure of claim 13 , wherein each of the first and second rigid structural components is generally U-shaped in cross section.

15. A radiation shielded vault structure comprising:
a rigid outer structure comprising at least first and second rigid structural components that are interconnected at elongated joints to define an interior space, wherein each of the first and second rigid structural components have inner and outer sides and comprise a layer of a first material having a lower atomic number, and a layer of a second material having a higher atomic number; and
shield members extending along the elongated joints to provide radiation shielding at the elongated joints, wherein the shield members comprise a higher atomic number material, wherein:
each of the first and second rigid structural components includes a central wall portion and a pair of extension walls extending transversely from the central wall portion and defining elongated end edges, wherein the end edges of the first rigid structural component are connected to the end edges of the second rigid structural component to form first and second elongated joints; and
the first and second shield members extend along the first and second elongated joints, respectively.

16. The structure of claim 15 , wherein each side edge of each rectangular plate includes an elongated groove and an elongated protrusion and wherein the elongated protrusions of each side edge engages an elongated groove in an adjacent side edge.

Assignees

• U S A As Represented By The Administrator Of Nasa
• Nasa

Inventors

• Thomsen Iii Donald L
• Girard William

Classifications

• G21F1/125

  comprising metals · CPC title

• H02S20/00

  Supporting structures for PV modules · CPC title

• G21F7/00

  Shielded cells or rooms · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H02S30/00

  Structural details of PV modules other than those related to light conversion (semiconductor device aspects of modules of electrolytic light sensitive devices H01G9/20, of inorganic PV modules H10F10/00, H10F19/00, of organic PV modules H10K30/00) · CPC title