Hierarchical Buoyant Materials Using Nested Hollow Spheres
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current buoyancy solutions for subsea applications, such as syntactic foam, face challenges in achieving reduced density, higher strength, and improved buoyancy while being volume-limited, leading to increased complexity, costs, and assembly times due to the need for multiple parts and high-strength lift lines.
Innovation Solution
The development of hierarchical buoyant materials comprising porous components with multiple length scales, where a first porous material with hollow microspheres is combined with a second porous material of a different scale, resulting in a higher packing fraction and improved buoyancy per unit volume, achieved through geometrical arrangements such as packing smaller hollow spheres within larger ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional syntactic foam is used for buoyancy, then buoyancy is provided, but density is high and volume efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing smaller hollow spheres inside larger hollow spheres to create a hierarchical structure. This nested arrangement maximizes the use of available space, increases the packing fraction of hollow spheres in the matrix, and reduces the overall density of the buoyant material while maintaining buoyant force. The smaller spheres fit into the interstices between larger spheres, eliminating wasted space and improving volume efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of sphere size distribution by using a hierarchical structure with multiple size scales rather than uniform sphere sizes. This parameter change allows for better packing efficiency and reduced density. The multi-scale hierarchical arrangement of hollow spheres with different diameters creates a more efficient space utilization compared to traditional single-scale syntactic foam.
2Force
If more buoyant material is added to compensate for weight, then buoyancy increases, but volume consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting smaller hollow spheres within larger ones, the patent achieves higher packing fraction and more efficient space utilization. This allows obtaining the required buoyant force with less total volume of material, as the hierarchical structure eliminates empty spaces and maximizes the buoyant contribution per unit volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite hierarchical structure combining hollow spheres of different sizes within a matrix material. This composite approach optimizes the buoyancy-to-volume ratio by strategically arranging multi-scale porous elements, achieving higher buoyancy density compared to traditional homogeneous syntactic foam.
3Volume of stationary object
If geometric complexity is increased to fit buoyancy materials in smaller spaces, then volume efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nested hierarchical structure of multi-scale hollow spheres achieves high volume efficiency through a systematic geometric arrangement rather than irregular complex shapes. The self-similar nested pattern simplifies manufacturing compared to custom-shaped buoyant components, as it relies on repeating modular units that can be produced using standardized processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the buoyant material into discrete hierarchical units of hollow spheres with different size scales. This segmentation allows for modular manufacturing and assembly, reducing overall system complexity. Each hierarchical level can be manufactured independently and then assembled, facilitating simplified production processes compared to creating monolithic complex geometries.
4Force
If multiple small parts are used to achieve buoyancy, then buoyancy performance is optimized, but assembly time and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple hollow spheres of different sizes into integrated hierarchical assemblies where smaller spheres are contained within larger spheres. This merging reduces the total number of separate components that need to be handled and assembled, thereby reducing assembly time and manufacturing complexity while maintaining optimized buoyancy performance through the multi-scale structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested configuration inherently reduces assembly complexity by pre-integrating smaller spheres within larger spheres during manufacturing. This nested arrangement eliminates the need for separate assembly steps to position multiple independent buoyant elements, as the hierarchical structure is created in a unified manufacturing process, significantly reducing assembly time.
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
This approach provides a hierarchical buoyant material with reduced density, increased specific strength, and enhanced buoyancy, offering improvements of at least 10-30% compared to traditional syntactic foam, while reducing the number of parts and simplifying assembly and deployment.
Implementation Method 1
buoyant materials comprising porous components having multiple length scales that provide reduced density, higher strength, and improved buoyancy
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are hierarchical buoyant materials comprising porous components having multiple length scales that provide reduced density, higher strength, and improved buoyancy. The hierarchical buoyant materials include components having at least two length scales including a first porous material having elements characterized by a first linear length scale and a second porous material having elements characterized by a second linear length scale. The first porous material includes hollow microspheres, and the second porous material provides low effective density via geometrical arrangements. The second linear length scale is substantially different than the first linear length scale in terms of size, e.g., diameter, length, or distance. The second porous material is packed between the first porous material resulting in a combined material having a higher packing fraction than either the first porous material or the second porous material alone to provide reduced density, higher specific strength, and improved buoyancy per unit volume.