Ultra-light micro-lattices and a method for forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415562-B1
Application number	US-201213584108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 13, 2012
Priority date	Aug 17, 2011
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a micro-lattice and, more particularly, to an ultra-light micro-lattice and a method for forming the same. The micro-lattice is a cellular material formed of interconnected hollow tubes. The cellular material has a relative density in a range of 0.001% to 0.3%, and a density of 0.9 mg/cc has been demonstrated. The cellular material also has the ability to recover from a deformation exceeding 50% strain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A micro-lattice, comprising:
four or more layers of truss, each layer of truss having a plurality of truss members that intersect with one another, the truss members formed of hollow tubes;
wherein the micro-lattice is formed of a material and having a relative density in a range of 0.00001 to 0.0005 in relation to the theoretical density of the material;
wherein the hollow tubes have a diameter such that the diameter is between 10 and 1000 microns; and
wherein the hollow tubes are formed by tube walls having a wall thickness between 0.01 and 2 microns.

2. The micro-lattice as set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein the hollow tubes have a diameter such that the diameter is between 100 and 500 microns; and
wherein the hollow tubes have a wall thickness between 0.1 and 0.5 microns.

3. The micro-lattice as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the micro-lattice recovers from deformations in height in a range of 50% to 90%, where the deformations in height is expressed as height of the micro-lattice as deformed divided by a height of the micro-lattice before deformation.

4. The micro-lattice as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the hollow tubes are formed of a material selected from a group consisting of nickel, zinc, chrome, tin, copper, gold silver, platinum, rhodium, aluminum, a ceramic, diamond, diamond like carbon, alumina, zirconia, tin oxide, zinc oxide, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, a polymer, parylene, or any combination or alloy thereof.

5. The micro-lattice as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the micro-lattice recovers from deformations in height in a range of 2% to 90%, where the deformations in height is expressed as height of the micro-lattice as deformed divided by a height of the micro-lattice before deformation.

6. The micro-lattice as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubes are formed of a material selected from a group consisting of nickel, zinc, chrome, tin, copper, gold silver, platinum, rhodium, aluminum, a ceramic, diamond, diamond like carbon, alumina, zirconia, tin oxide, zinc oxide, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, a polymer, parylene, or any combination or alloy thereof.

Assignees

• Schaedler Tobias A
• Jacobsen Alan J
• Carter William
• Roper Christopher
• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Schaedler Tobias A
• Jacobsen Alan J
• Carter William
• Roper Christopher

Classifications

• Y10T428/24149

  Honeycomb-like · CPC title

• B32B2307/56

  Damping, energy absorption · CPC title

• B32B2307/51

  Elastic · CPC title

• Y10T428/12375

  having member which crosses the plane of another member [e.g., T or X cross section, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T428/12479

  Porous [e.g., foamed, spongy, cracked, etc.] · CPC title