Septumized Composite Pressure Vessels for Spacecraft
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spacecraft pressure vessels made of metals are heavy and expensive, limiting payload capacity and providing limited structural redundancy due to single-layer construction, which is costly and time-consuming to recondition, and requires extensive ground-based infrastructure for reuse.
Innovation Solution
The development of septumized composite structures for spacecraft, featuring a sandwich panel configuration with laminated fiber-reinforced resin face sheets and honeycomb cores, providing increased damage tolerance and reduced weight, along with methods for forming structural splice joints and reinforcing with potting compounds to enhance structural redundancy and reduce weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal pressure vessels are used for spacecraft, then structural strength is ensured, but weight increases and payload capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by replacing traditional metal pressure vessels with sandwich panel structures consisting of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) face sheets and aluminum honeycomb cores. This composite construction provides equivalent or superior structural strength while significantly reducing weight, thereby increasing payload capacity for spacecraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by using different materials for different functional requirements: CFRP face sheets provide high strength-to-weight ratio and damage tolerance, while aluminum honeycomb cores provide structural support and weight reduction. This localized material optimization achieves both strength and weight reduction goals.
2Ease of manufacture
If single-layer metal construction is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but structural redundancy is limited and damage tolerance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the pressure vessel into multiple discrete layers: outer CFRP face sheet, aluminum honeycomb core, and inner CFRP face sheet. This multi-layer sandwich structure provides structural redundancy where damage to one layer does not compromise the entire structure, while still maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite sandwich structure inherently provides structural redundancy through its multi-layer construction. The CFRP face sheets and aluminum honeycomb core work together to distribute and absorb damage, ensuring that localized damage does not lead to catastrophic failure, thereby improving reliability without significantly complicating manufacturing.
3Productivity
If reusable spacecraft components are implemented, then cost is reduced, but reconditioning time and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by designing the pressure vessel as a modular sandwich panel structure that can be divided into separable sections. This modularity enables easier inspection, repair, and replacement of individual panels or layers without requiring complete disassembly or reconditioning of the entire spacecraft, thereby reducing reconditioning time and infrastructure requirements while maintaining reusability.
Data Source
AI summary
Composite structures for space vehicles and other aerospace vehicles are disclosed herein. In one embodiment of the disclosure, a space vehicle pressure vessel includes composite panels or sidewalls with septumized core. In another embodiment, a splice joint for joining septumized composite panels in space vehicle structures is disclosed herein.