Method of manufacturing and/or operating deployable structures using hydride material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12459677-B1
Application number	US-202418658923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 8, 2024
Priority date	Apr 22, 2021
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A deployable structure includes a hydride material to be converted into hydrogen gas; and a sheet material encapsulating the hydride material; wherein the sheet material is to be plastically deformed by the hydrogen gas to have an expanded structure. A method of manufacturing a deployable structure includes: forming a sheet material comprising an outer shell structure and a hollow interior; placing a hydride material capable of being converted into hydrogen gas into the hollow interior; sealing the outer shell structure; and converting and releasing the hydrogen gas to expand and plastically deform the sheet material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing and/or operating a deployable structure, the method comprising:
providing a sheet material comprising an outer shell structure and a hollow interior, the sheet material having a thickness of 25 μm to 1000 μm; placing a hydride material to be converted into hydrogen gas into the hollow interior, the hydride material being in contact with a trigger; sealing the outer shell structure; and converting the hydride material and releasing the hydrogen gas, and expanding and plastically deforming the sheet material by the hydrogen gas, wherein the trigger comprises at least one selected from:
a thermal trigger comprising a heat source to generate heat;
a chemical trigger; and
an electrical trigger.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the converting of the hydride material and the releasing of the hydrogen gas is initiated by the trigger.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the converting of the hydride material and releasing of the hydrogen gas comprises applying heat to the hydride material at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 500° C.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydride material comprises a reversible hydride, and
the converting of the hydride material and releasing of the hydrogen gas is reversible and comprises controlling a temperature of the hydride material.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydride material comprises an irreversible hydride, and
the converting of the hydride material and releasing of the hydrogen gas is irreversible.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastically deforming of the sheet material further comprises hardening the sheet material during and/or after the expanding of the sheet material, and
the converting of the hydride material and releasing of the hydrogen gas is configured to occur at a faster rate than the hardening of the sheet material.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the converting of the hydride material and releasing of the hydrogen gas generates a pressure greater than a yield stress of the sheet material and less than a degradation or failure stress of the sheet material.

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Graetz Jason A
• Vajo John J
• Henry Christopher P
• Sorensen Adam E
• Mcknight Geoffrey P

Classifications

• B64G1/2227

  Inflating · CPC title

• Y10T428/1355

  Elemental metal containing [e.g., substrate, foil, film, coating, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T428/1338

  Elemental metal containing · CPC title

• Y10T428/1328

  Shrinkable or shrunk [e.g., due to heat, solvent, volatile agent, restraint removal, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T428/1359

  Three or more layers [continuous layer] · CPC title