Frangible Seal for Deployable Flight Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for protecting deployable flight surfaces and internal components from environmental factors like moisture, heat, and particles are inadequate as they fail to provide sufficient protection while being frangible enough to allow deployment.
Innovation Solution
A frangible seal with a polymer layer having a metalized surface and an ablative coating, comprising an adhesive region for attachment and a frangible region for protection, allowing the deployable structure to extend through while providing structural integrity and environmental protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a seal is made to provide sufficient protection from environmental factors, then protection capability is improved, but the seal becomes less frangible and unable to allow deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple functional layers including an adhesive layer, a polymer layer, and a metalized layer. Each layer provides specific functions: the adhesive layer provides attachment strength, the polymer layer provides environmental protection, and the metalized layer provides thermal protection. This segmentation allows the seal to provide sufficient protection while maintaining frangibility for deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal uses composite material construction combining polymer and metalized layers. The polymer layer (such as polyimide) provides flexibility and environmental sealing, while the metalized layer (such as aluminum) provides thermal protection. This composite structure achieves both protection capability and frangibility that single materials cannot provide.
2Ease of operation
If a seal is made to be frangible enough to allow deployment, then deployability is improved, but protection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple functional layers including an adhesive layer, a polymer layer, and a metalized layer. Each layer provides specific functions: the adhesive layer provides attachment strength, the polymer layer provides environmental protection, and the metalized layer provides thermal protection. This segmentation allows the seal to provide sufficient protection while maintaining frangibility for deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal utilizes thin film structures that are flexible yet protective. The polymer layer and metalized layer are applied as thin films that can be penetrated by the deploying structure while providing environmental and thermal protection during the protected state. The thin film nature ensures frangibility while maintaining protection capability.
3Reliability
If a seal covers deployable surface openings to protect internal components, then protection capability is improved, but the seal must be penetratable for deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is pre-configured with frangible characteristics in specific regions that allow for controlled penetration during deployment. The adhesive region provides strong attachment while the frangible region is designed to be penetratable by the deploying structure. This preliminary configuration ensures both protection during storage and ease of penetration during deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal has different properties in different regions: the adhesive region provides strong attachment to the housing, while the frangible region is designed to be penetratable by the deploying structure. This local differentiation of properties allows the seal to provide protection where needed while allowing deployment where required.
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 seal effectively protects internal components from environmental damage while enabling deployment by being sufficiently frangible and providing thermal and environmental barriers.
Implementation Method 1
an ablative coating is provided on the metalized surface of the polymer layer
Implementation Method 2
a second region configured to adhere to a portion of the outer surface of the housing surrounding the opening
Data Source
AI summary
A frangible seal includes a first region penetratable by a deployable structure configured to selectably extend through an opening in a housing and extend beyond an outer surface of the housing, and a second region configured to adhere to a portion of the outer surface of the housing surrounding the opening. The first region and the second region includes a polymer layer having a metalized surface (e.g., aluminized polyimide) and a non-metalized surface, and an ablative coating provided on the metalized surface of the polymer layer.