Inflatable and rigidizable support element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9561843-B2
Application number	US-201514942174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2009
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

The present invention provides novel inflatable and rigidizable support elements, and methods of manufacture and use thereof. In particular, the present invention provides inflatable and rigidizable support elements rapidly inflated and rigidized using an acrylic adhesive and UV light generated by combustion, which find use, for example, in rapidly deploying and supporting the wing of an aerial vehicle and wind turbine towers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rapid deployment structure system comprising:
a support element comprising a flexible fabric component and an adhesive component, wherein the flexible fabric component is encapsulated within the adhesive component, the support element having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, the support element defining an enclosed volume having an inlet and an outlet, the support element having a length, and the support element defining an axis in the expanded configuration;
an ultraviolet (UV) light-generating component configured to generate UV light via a combustion reaction, the UV light-generating component including at least one combustible material disposed along at least a portion of the length the support element, and the UV light-generating component configured to cure the adhesive component
at least one oxidizer;
a scaffold disposed within the enclosed volume, the scaffold supporting at least a portion of the UV light-generating component within the enclosed volume along at least a portion of the axis;
an inflation system connected to the inlet of the enclosed volume for supplying compressed gas to the enclosed volume; and
a pressure regulator connected to the outlet of the enclosed volume, wherein the pressure regulator is adapted to vent products from the combustion reaction to a space outside the enclosed volume.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one combustible material comprises a metal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one combustible material comprises magnesium.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oxidizer comprises solid KClO4.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the support element is tubular.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an igniter device.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one combustible material and that at least one oxidizer are configured to combust upon ignition by said ignition device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive component includes at least one of an acrylic adhesive, a polymer, a thermally curable thermoset composite, or an epoxy.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fabric component includes at least one of fibers, carbon fiber, glass, fused silica, fiber glass, fused-quartz glass fiber, aramid fiber, E-grade glass, a polymer, polymer fibers, or woven metal.

10. A method of deploying a support element comprising:
providing:
a support element comprising a flexible fabric component and an adhesive component, wherein the flexible fabric component is encapsulated within the adhesive component, the support element having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, the support element defining an enclosed volume having an inlet and an outlet, the support element having a length, and the support element defining an axis in the expanded configuration;
an ultraviolet (UV) light-generating component configured to generate UV light via a combustion reaction, the UV light-generating component including at least one combustible material disposed along at least a portion of the length the support element;
at least one oxidizer;
a scaffold disposed within the enclosed volume, the scaffold supporting at least a portion of the UV light-generating component within the enclosed volume along at least a portion of the axis;
an inflation system connected to the inlet of the enclosed volume for supplying compressed gas to the enclosed volume; and
a pressure regulator connected to the outlet of the enclosed volume, wherein the pressure regulator is adapted to vent products from the combustion reaction to a space outside the enclosed volume;
inflating the support element by applying pressurized gas from the inflation system to the enclosed volume via the inlet; and
initiating the combustion reaction of the UV light-generating component, thereby exposing the adhesive component to UV light from the combustion reaction, wherein the UV light initiates curing of the adhesive component.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein curing of the adhesive component results in rapid rigidization of the support element.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein rigidization of the support element is reached in less than 13 seconds following initiation of the combustion reaction.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein rigidization of the support element is reached in less than 5 seconds following initiation of the combustion reaction.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein deploying the support element results in deploying and supporting an aircraft wing.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein deploying the support element results in deploying a wind turbine tower.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein deploying the support element results in deploying at least one of a space satellite component, a wind turbine component, a construction support, or a structure.

Assignees

• Univ Tufts

Inventors

• Bright Alfram V
• Wlezien Richard

Classifications

• D06M10/001

  Treatment with visible light, infrared or ultraviolet, X-rays · CPC title

• B64C2201/042

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C3/56

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• D06M10/10

  Macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• H05G2/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma (X-ray lasers H01S4/00) · CPC title