Spacecraft panel and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12552552-B2
Application number	US-202218045830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2022
Priority date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

A spacecraft panel includes a first skin, a second skin spaced apart from the first skin, and a first truss structure connecting the first skin to the second skin. The first truss structure includes a plurality of truss members, and each truss member is integral with the first skin and the second skin, such that the first skin, the second skin, and the first truss structure collectively form a single monolithic joint-free structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing a spacecraft panel, comprising:
printing a first skin with a first outer surface, a first inner surface, and a first thickness; printing a first grid of stiffeners along the first inner surface comprising one or more first grid units; printing a second skin with a second outer surface, a second inner surface, and a second thickness, the second skin being spaced apart from the first skin with the second inner surface facing the first inner surface; printing a second grid of stiffeners along the second inner surface comprising one or more second grid units; and printing a plurality of cross-shaped truss members of a first truss structure connecting the first skin to the second skin, wherein:
each cross-shaped truss member consists of:
two first legs that extend from first nodes on the first inner surface of the first skin and converge to a central join region situated between the first skin and the second skin; and
two second legs that diverge and extend from the central join region to second nodes on the second inner surface of the second skin;

the first nodes are defined at first intersections of the first grid of stiffeners;
the second nodes are defined at second intersections of the second grid of stiffeners;
the first grid units are offset from the second grid units such that when viewed along a direction normal to the first skin, each one of the first nodes is aligned with a geometric center of one of the second grid units; and
each cross-shaped truss member is integral to and spans a gap between the first skin and the second skin and the first skin, the second skin, and the first truss structure collectively form a single monolithic joint-free structure.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
printing the first skin and printing the first grid of stiffeners are performed concurrently; printing the first skin and printing the second grid of stiffeners with the second skin are performed concurrently; the one or more first grid units of the first grid of stiffeners comprises one or more first grid squares; the one of more second grid units of the second grid of stiffeners comprises one or more second grid squares; and printing the plurality of cross-shaped truss members comprises printing each cross-shaped truss member to extend between associated ones of the first nodes and the second nodes.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
the second grid units are offset from the first grid units such that when viewed along a direction normal to the second skin, each one of the second nodes is aligned with a geometric center of one of the first grid units.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
printing a closeout wall during the printing of the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the plurality of cross-shaped truss members comprises:
printing the plurality of cross-shaped truss members as an array of core structures that vary in a base span dimension between the core structures over at least one region of the spacecraft panel.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
printing a third skin spaced apart from the second skin, and a second truss structure connecting the second skin to the third skin, during the printing of the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members; and wherein the third skin along with the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members together define a plurality of layers where multiple layers of the plurality of layers in the single monolithic joint-free structure include a portion of the first skin, the portion of the first truss structure, the portion of the second skin, a portion of the second truss structure and a portion of third skin.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spacecraft panel has a primary axis parallel to a lengthwise direction of the first skin and the second skin, and a secondary axis perpendicular to the primary axis and normal to the first skin and the second skin, the step of printing the plurality of cross-shaped truss members comprising:
printing each cross-shaped truss member at a first truss angle of 35-50 degrees relative to the secondary axis when the spacecraft panel is viewed along a direction perpendicular to both the primary axis and the secondary axis, and at a second truss angle of 35-50 degrees relative to the secondary axis when the spacecraft panel is viewed along the primary axis.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the first skin and the second skin comprises:
printing at least one of the first skin and the second skin with an internal channel embedded in the first skin and/or the second skin.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members comprises:
printing, using an additive manufacturing apparatus, the spacecraft panel in a manner such that a lengthwise direction of the first skin and the second skin is parallel to a build direction of the additive manufacturing apparatus.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first thickness of the first skin is a first uniform thickness, and the second thickness of the second skin is a second uniform thickness.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
printing a plurality of circular bosses extending perpendicularly from at least one of the first inner surface of the first skin and the second inner surface of the second skin to facilitate and strengthen connection between select cross-shaped truss members and at least one of the first skin and the second skin.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the first grid of stiffeners and printing the second grid of stiffeners comprise printing triangular skin stiffeners.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first skin, the second skin, and the first truss structure together define a plurality of layers of material; and multiple layers of the plurality of layers in the single monolithic joint-free structure include a portion of the first skin, a portion of the first truss structure, and a portion of the second skin.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising connecting the spacecraft panel to another panel.

15 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the closeout wall extends between the first skin and the second skin along at least one edge of the spacecraft panel.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a group of layers along the at least one edge of the spacecraft panel includes a portion of the first skin, a portion of the closeout wall, and the portion of the second skin.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving digital information describing an ordered plurality of the layers by an additive manufacturing device.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein printing the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members comprises depositing raw material on a build platform of the additive manufacturing device.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein printing the first skin, the second skin, and the plurality of cross-shaped truss members further comprises altering the raw material to form each one of the plurality of layers.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising repositioning the build platform after forming each one of the plurality of layers,
wherein printing the first skin, the second skin, and the first plurality of cross-shap

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Aston Richard W
• Schoenborn Nicole Diane
• Jain Nicole Marie
• Joe Christopher David

Classifications

• B64G1/56

  Protection against meteoroids or space debris · CPC title

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B64G1/58

  Thermal protection, e.g. heat shields · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title