Internally Coupleable Joint for Missile Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current missile section-to-section joints, such as radial screw joints and Marman flange/band arrangements, encroach on internal volume, require tight torque control, and can affect aerodynamics, necessitating a joint design that maximizes interior space without compromising alignment or aerodynamic performance.
Innovation Solution
An internally coupleable joint with axially extending protrusions and recesses forming a butt joint configuration, along with a securing member that engages internal coupling features to prevent separation, providing a positive alignment and load distribution while minimizing external clamping apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radial screw joints or Marman flange/band arrangements are used to join missile sections, then the sections can be securely connected, but the joint encroaches on internal volume and affects aerodynamics
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling features are nested within the interior surfaces of the missile section end closures, with the protrusion fitting into the recess and the securing member engaging internal coupling features. This nesting arrangement allows the joint to be formed entirely within the existing external contours of the missile sections, eliminating the need for overlapping portions or external bands that would encroach on internal volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from radial or external coupling mechanisms to an axial dimension approach, where the protrusion extends axially into the recess and the securing member engages features along the axial direction. This dimensional shift allows the joint to be contained within the axial length of the sections without requiring radial overlap or external banding.
2Reliability
If radial screw joints are used with overlapping diameters and nutplates, then sections can be joined along perimeters, but this significantly encroaches on adjacent internal volume
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling features are nested within the interior surfaces of the missile section end closures, with the protrusion fitting into the recess and the securing member engaging internal coupling features. This nesting arrangement allows the joint to be formed entirely within the existing external contours of the missile sections, eliminating the need for overlapping portions or external bands that would encroach on internal volume.
3Reliability
If traditional joint arrangements with external bands or nutplates are used, then sections can be securely connected, but the external features adversely impact aerodynamics
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the coupling features from the external surfaces and relocates them entirely to the interior surfaces of the missile section end closures. The protrusion and recess are formed on interior surfaces, and the securing member engages these internal features without requiring any external bands, flanges, or fasteners that would protrude from the external contours.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling features are nested within the interior surfaces of the missile section end closures, with the protrusion fitting into the recess and the securing member engaging internal coupling features. This nesting arrangement allows the joint to be formed entirely within the existing external contours of the missile sections, eliminating the need for overlapping portions or external bands that would encroach on internal volume.
4Reliability
If radial screw joints require tight torque control and production control, then connection reliability can be maintained, but manufacturing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion and recess are designed with interference-fit geometry that automatically provides alignment and positioning of the adjacent missile sections during assembly. The coupling features self-align the sections without requiring precise torque control or complex production procedures, as the geometric constraints of the protrusion-recess interface guide proper positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
An internally coupleable joint is disclosed. The joint can include a first component and a second component configured to mate with one another in an end-to-end relationship. An axially extending protrusion of the first component can interface with a corresponding recess of the second component. In addition, the first component and the second component can each have an internal coupling feature extending at least partially about an inner circumference of the respective component. The joint can also include a securing member having external coupling features configured to engage the internal coupling features of the first and second components to prevent separation of the first and second components.