UV-Rigidized Inflatable Support Element for Lightweight Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support elements, such as those used in wind turbines and deployable aircraft wings, face challenges with weight, stability, and deployment efficiency due to their bulkiness and reliance on continuous pressure for structural integrity, which limits their portability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
Inflatable and rigidizable support elements composed of flexible fabric encapsulated in an acrylic adhesive, which can be rapidly deployed by inflation and subsequently rigidized using UV light, either from a chemical reaction or sunlight, to achieve structural stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rigid support elements are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but weight and difficulty of transport increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support element transitions from a flexible, compact state during transport to a rigid, extended state during use through inflation and UV-curing. This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to optimize for both weight (flexible state) and strength (rigid state), resolving the contradiction between structural strength and transport weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The material properties of the support element are changed through UV irradiation, which triggers polymerization of the adhesive matrix. This parameter change transforms the material from a flexible, moldable state to a rigid, structurally sound state, enabling the element to provide high strength when needed while remaining lightweight during transport.
2Weight of moving object
If inflatable fabric wings are used, then mass and deployment speed are improved, but structural integrity and resistance to pressure loss worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The support element combines flexible fabric with a UV-curable adhesive matrix to create a composite structure. This composite material provides both the low mass and rapid deployment characteristics of inflatable structures and the structural integrity of rigid materials, once the matrix is cured through UV exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive matrix is prepared in advance in an uncured, flexible state that allows easy folding and compact storage. Upon deployment, UV irradiation triggers rapid polymerization, preliminarily establishing the rigid structure needed for structural integrity before the element is put into service.
3Ease of operation
If mechanically hinged wings are used, then ease of deployment is improved, but number of joints and structural reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the mechanical hinge joints from the wing structure entirely, replacing them with a continuous flexible fabric and UV-curable matrix. This extraction of problematic joints eliminates the reliability issues associated with multiple moving parts while maintaining ease of deployment through inflation and curing.
4Weight of moving object
If support elements are made lightweight and collapsible, then ease of transport is improved, but stability and strength worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The support element dynamically transitions from a flexible, collapsible state optimized for transport to a rigid, stable state optimized for structural support. This dynamic transformation allows the element to be lightweight during transport while providing full structural stability when deployed and UV-cured.
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
These elements provide a lightweight, portable, and stable structure that can be quickly deployed and rigidized, overcoming the limitations of traditional support elements in terms of weight, stability, and deployment speed.
Implementation Method 1
the acrylic adhesive component is cured by UV light to rigidize the support element structure
Implementation Method 2
configured to adopt a fully extended, inflated, and/or deployed conformation upon application of pressurized gas to the inner lumen
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides novel inflatable and rigidizable support elements, and methods of manufacture and use thereof. In particular, the present invention provides inflatable and rigidizable support elements rapidly inflated and rigidized using an acrylic adhesive and UV light generated by combustion, which find use, for example, in rapidly deploying and supporting the wing of an aerial vehicle and wind turbine towers.