Concentric Tube Fluid Coupling for Spacecraft Pressure Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid conduit connections for spacecraft engines face challenges in balancing mechanical strength, cost, bulk, and flexibility, particularly under extreme temperature and pressure conditions, with current solutions being either expensive and heavy or inexpensive but lacking in mechanical properties and high-pressure resistance.
Innovation Solution
A fluid conduit connection device comprising two connecting elements with concentric tubes that allow for degrees of freedom in movement, including compression, bending, and rotation, along with a wedge for clamping and sealing, made from materials like steel or nickel alloys, which provides flexibility and mechanical strength while minimizing mass and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid connecting elements are used, then mechanical strength and high-pressure resistance are improved, but flexibility and ability to absorb thermal expansion stresses are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is divided into multiple rigid sections (first connecting section, second connecting section) linked by flexible joints. This segmentation allows each section to maintain structural integrity while the joints provide flexibility to absorb thermal expansion and accommodate misalignment, resolving the contradiction between rigidity for strength and flexibility for adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element incorporates flexible joints that enable dynamic movement and adjustment. These joints allow the connecting element to adapt its configuration in response to thermal expansion, pressure changes, and installation misalignments, maintaining mechanical strength while providing the necessary flexibility for different operational conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible hoses are used, then flexibility and cost are improved, but mechanical strength and high-pressure resistance are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible connecting element is segmented into rigid sections and flexible joints. The rigid sections provide structural strength and high-pressure resistance, while the flexible joints maintain adaptability and flexibility. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both high-pressure capability and flexibility, overcoming the limitations of purely flexible hoses.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element combines rigid materials (for strength and pressure resistance) with flexible joint materials (for adaptability). This composite structure integrates the advantages of both rigid and flexible components, achieving high-pressure resistance while maintaining the flexibility needed for thermal expansion and misalignment accommodation.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional rigid connections are used, then manufacturing precision and assembly simplicity are improved, but ability to absorb thermal expansion stresses and pressure loads is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element incorporates flexible joints that enable dynamic adjustment during assembly and operation. These joints accommodate misalignments and absorb thermal expansion stresses without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances, maintaining assembly simplicity while significantly improving stress absorption capability and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible joints change their mechanical parameters (flexibility, stiffness) in response to temperature and pressure changes. This allows the connecting element to adapt to thermal expansion and pressure loads dynamically, improving reliability without compromising assembly precision or simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively absorbs high forces generated by pressure and temperature loads, reducing interface forces and fluid leaks, while maintaining flexibility and reducing weight, bulk, and production costs, making it suitable for hyperstatic rocket engine architectures.
Implementation Method 1
the wedge can be configured to exert a clamping force on the stacks
Implementation Method 2
The presence of degrees of freedom allows them to be absorbed, at least partially
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
Fluid conduit connection device 10 comprising two connecting elements 11 each having a connecting section adapted to be attached to a conduit, and a connecting element 12 connecting the connecting elements 11; characterized in that each connecting element 11 comprises at least two concentric tubes 13 defining a stack 14; each stack 14 is linked only to a connecting element 11; the stacks of the two different connecting elements 11 partially overlap; so that the tubes 13 of the two stacks 14 alternately overlap.