Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6240727
-
Patent Number
6,240,727
-
Date Filed
Thursday, April 27, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 5, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Forrest; John
- Shuster; Jacob
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 060 527
- 060 528
- 415 134
- 415 136
- 415 138
- 415 12
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
Axial sections of a casing assembly such as that of a rocket are maintained interconnected by latching prongs on which thermally responsive Nitinol rings are positioned. Operational control over the latching prongs is achieved by selection of material properties and dimensions of the Nitinol rings during manufacture thereof.
Description
The present invention relates in general to the formation of thermally responsive control means for releasable latches interconnecting sections of a casing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ring-like elements made of shape memory material such as Nitinol have been commercially used for retention of connector pins under ambient temperatures. Such Nitinol rings have also been experimentally used to release latch pins at elevated temperatures within tubular casings as disclosed for example in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/107,314 filed Jun. 30, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing such Nitinol rings so as to meet the installational and operational requirements of thermally responsive control of latching means used to maintain sections of casings interconnected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a wire made of Nitinol material having suitable properties is cut into required lengths corresponding to bent shapes such as the circumferential lengths of rings to be radially positioned between nested portions of a releasable latching arrangement interconnecting sections of a casing such as that of a rocket. The cut sections of the Nitinol wire are bent into their ring shapes after the opposite end portions thereof are annealed and flattened for overlapping thereof and then undergo welding to form joints. Welding of the ring joints is performed by use of an electrical resistance technique with either thin nickel foil sheets disposed between the overlapped wire end portions of the rings or plating/coating thereof with nickel to cause diffusion of melted nickel into the wire end portions at spot weld locations according to one embodiment. Cracking of the rings otherwise induced by the heat generated during the welding processes is thereby minimized and/or avoided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a tubular rocket casing assembly as one example of an installational environment with which the present invention is associated;
FIG. 2
is a partial section through the tubular rocket casing assembly shown in
FIG. 1
, illustrating installation of Nitinol rings therein;
FIG. 3
is a partial section view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line
3
—
3
in
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is a block diagram illustrating the thermally responsive control exercised by the Nitinol rings;
FIG. 5
is a block diagram illustrating the method used for manufacture of the Nitinol rings; and
FIG. 6
is a partial section view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line
6
—
6
in FIG.
3
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawing in detail,
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate as one example of an installation associated with the present invention, a rocket casing
10
such as that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/107,314 aforementioned. The casing
10
includes a main tubular aft section
12
constituting a rocket motor and a forward warhead section
13
. Such casing sections
12
and
13
as shown in
FIG. 2
are interconnected through a cylindrical adapter component
16
which has internal threads
14
adjacent one axial end thereof in threaded engagement with the forward section
13
. Also, a plurality of circumferentially spaced prong formations
20
of the adapter component
16
project toward its other axial end in radially spaced underlying relation to a radially outer axial end component
18
of the aft casing section
12
. The forward and aft sections
13
and
12
of the casing
10
when axially assembled as shown in
FIG. 2
are held interconnected under control of three Nitinol rings
28
positioned in close axially spaced relation to each other, radially between the prong formations
20
and the outer axial end component
18
of the casing section
12
. Also, a polyethylene shield
30
is disposed in protective overlying relation to the three Nitinol rings
28
as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. The properties and dimensions of the Nitinol rings
28
are selectively adjusted during manufacture thereof in accordance with the present invention to meet various requirements for separation of the casing sections
12
and
13
, otherwise held interconnected by the Nitinol rings
28
through the adapter component
16
in the installational arrangement as hereinbefore described.
As diagrammed in
FIG. 4
, the Nitinol rings
28
undergo heating
32
to a selected temperature range causing contraction
34
of such rings to thereby induce a separation force to be exerted by the rings on the prongs
20
, in a radially inward direction in the installation shown in
FIG. 2
, sufficient to displace latch projections
35
on the ends of the prongs
20
out of a groove
37
formed in the axial end component
18
of the casing section
12
. The sections
12
and
13
of the casing
10
are thereby unlatched and separated. In the case of a rocket motor casing assembly, such separation of the nested casing section
12
and adapter component
16
was caused to occur before propellant ignition as a result of a 4% contraction in circumferential length of the Nitinol rings
28
because of heating to a temperature range between 210° F. and 240° F.
The dimensional and operational requirements for the Nitinol rings
28
were achieved by manufacture thereof from a cold Titanium-rich alloy wire
36
of 0.028 inch diameter as diagrammed in FIG.
5
. Such wire
36
was elongated approximately 6% in length by stretch
38
and then cut into sections
40
of required lengths dimensionally corresponding to the circumferential lengths of the rings
28
plus the overlapping distance. The end portions of such cut lengths of wire were then annealed and flattened as denoted by
42
in FIG.
5
. The flattened wire ends then underwent removal of surface oxides by 800 grit SiC paper and cleansed with acetone and methanol as denoted by
48
. The flattened and cleansed end portions of each cut length of wire were then overlapped to form ring joints by bending of each cut length of wire into the circular ring shape as denoted by
50
in FIG.
5
. Nickel foils
52
were then placed between the overlapped end portions of the wire while positioned on a holding fixture for welding of the joints so formed by use of an electrical resistance technique
54
, to thereby complete formation of the rings
28
.
FIG. 6
shows the welded joint of each ring
28
formed by the aforesaid welding of the flattened overlapped end portions
56
and
58
thereof. Such welding involves placement of a consumable nickel foil
60
between the flattened, overlapped portions
56
and
58
of the wire ends causing melting of such foil at spaced locations of resistance spot welding causing the heating and diffusion of melted foil portions
62
into the wire end portions
56
and
58
. The resistance spot welding technique includes the maintenance of forging pressures on opposing electrodes through which electrical resistance heating and cooling occurs at each weld spot location, until the welding process thereat is completed. Use of such electrical resistance welding minimized solidification cracking of the wire which otherwise occurs because of heating during the welding process for high titanium content Nitinol. Secondary cracking was also avoided by the aforesaid spot welding involving placement of nickel foils
60
, of 0.001 inch thickness or less, between the overlapping end portions
56
and
58
of each ring
28
followed by the spot welding processes as hereinbefore described.
Obviously, other modifications and variation of the present invention may be possible in light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims
- 1. In combination with a casing having axial sections interconnected by latch means and thermally responsive means for inducing separation of the casing sections by release of the latch means, a method of manufacturing the thermally responsive means from wire made of shape memory material having properties and dimensions adapted to accommodate positioning thereof on the latch means and said release of the latch means, comprising the steps of: elongating said wire to a selected extent; cutting the elongated wire into sections of required length; flattening end portions of said sections of the wire; bending each of said sections of the wire into shape to overlap the flattened end portions thereof; and welding the overlapped end portions to each other to complete formation of the thermally responsive means.
- 2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the shape memory material is Nitinol.
- 3. The combination as defined in claim 2, wherein said latch means comprises: a plurality of circumferentially spaced prongs projecting from one of the casing sections into radially spaced underlying relation to the other of the casing sections having a groove within which latch projections on the prongs are received.
- 4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein said welding employs electrical resistance heating.
- 5. The method as defined in claim 4, including the step of: placing nickel foil between the overlapped end portions of the shaped wire sections before said welding to minimize cracking of the wire sections by said heating during the welding.
- 6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said end portions of the wire sections are annealed before said flattening thereof.
- 7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said end portions of the wire sections are annealed before said flattening thereof.
- 8. The method as defined in claim 7, including the step of: placing metal foil, plating or coating between the ring shaped wire sections before said welding.
- 9. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said latch means comprises: a plurality of circumferentially spaced prongs projecting from one of the casing sections into radially spaced underlying relation to the other of the casing sections having a groove within which latch projections on the prongs are received.
- 10. In combination with a casing having axial sections; latch means for interconnecting said casing sections; and thermally responsive means on the latch means for release thereof; said thermally responsive means having properties and dimensions selected to accommodate positioning thereof on the latch means and said release of the the casing sections by the latch means.
- 11. The combination as defined in claim 10, wherein said thermally responsive means comprises a plurality of Nitinol rings.
- 12. The combination as defined in claim 10, wherein said thermally responsive means undergoes contraction to effect said release of the latch means.
US Referenced Citations (17)