Heat resistive wall assembly for a space vehicle
First Claim
1. A heat resistive wall assembly for a space vehicle, comprising:
- a. an inner wall formed from a heat resistive metal for providing both structural support for the vehicle and a heat sink for absorbing and dissipating heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle;
b. an outer wall formed from a heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto for radiating away heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle, andc. at least a first resilient, evacuated insulator means disposed between said inner and outer walls to retard the radiant transmission of heat through said wall structure,wherein the space between the inner and said outer wall is vented so that said outer wall bears no atmospheric pressure load, and wherein the resiliency of said insulator means causes it to define a lengthened heat path between said inner and outer wall when ambient atmospheric pressure is relieved.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A heat-resistive wall assembly for a space vehicle is disclosed herein comprising an inner wall formed from either wrought beryllium or aluminum for providing both structural support for the vehicle, as well as a heat sink which equilibrates the heat gradient around the vehicle during reentry, an outer wall preferably formed from interlocking panels of a honeycomb laminate of a heat resistive metal such as Inconel® 617, and an evacuated jacket formed from an envelope of nickel foil which is disposed between the inner and outer walls. The evacuated jacket contains an insulating material formed from alternating layers of a sheet material made from nonwoven quartz fibers, and sheets of nickel foil. Even though the interior of the wall assembly is exposed to ambient atmospheric pressure, such atmospheric pressure is insufficient to compress the evacuated jacket during the maximum heat experienced by the vehicle during reentry into the atmosphere. Thus the evacuated jacket maintains an expanded heat flux retarding position when the heat load upon the vehicle wall assembly is at its highest.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A heat resistive wall assembly for a space vehicle, comprising:
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a. an inner wall formed from a heat resistive metal for providing both structural support for the vehicle and a heat sink for absorbing and dissipating heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle; b. an outer wall formed from a heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto for radiating away heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle, and c. at least a first resilient, evacuated insulator means disposed between said inner and outer walls to retard the radiant transmission of heat through said wall structure, wherein the space between the inner and said outer wall is vented so that said outer wall bears no atmospheric pressure load, and wherein the resiliency of said insulator means causes it to define a lengthened heat path between said inner and outer wall when ambient atmospheric pressure is relieved. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A heat resistive wall assembly for a reusable aerospace vehicle capable of traveling between outer space and an atmosphere comprising:
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a. an inner wall for providing both structural support for the vehicle and a heat sink for absorbing and dissipating heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle; b. an outer wall formed from a heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto for radiating away heat applied to the outer surface of the vehicle, the space between said inner and outer wall being vented so that said outer wall bears no atmospheric pressure load, and c. a flexible, evacuated jacket formed from an envelope of resilient metallic foil having a top sheet and a bottom sheet, said jacket being disposed between said inner and outer walls, wherein the resiliency of said metallic foil causes the top and bottom sheets to separate and to define a lengthened heat path when ambient atmospheric pressure is relieved and to retard the radiative, conductive and convective transmission of heat between said inner and outer walls. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. a heat resistive wall assembly for a fuselage of a reusable space vehicle capable of traveling between an atmosphere and outer space comprising:
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a. an inner wall formed from a metal for providing both structural strength to the fuselage, and a heat sink for absorbing and dissipating heat applied to the fuselage during reentry into said atmosphere; b. an outer wall formed from a heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto for radiating away a substantial portion of the heat applied to the fuselage during reentry; c. a first, resilient heat reflective sheet disposed between said inner and outer walls for both retarding the radiant transmission of heat through said wall, and for forming a jacket within the wall assembly that fills part of the space between said inner and outer walls and which is at least partially evacuated for retarding the convective transmission of heat through the wall, wherein the resiliency of said metallic foil causes said resilient sheet to contract when not exposed to ambient atmospheric pressure and to define a lengthened heat path between said outer and inner walls, and wherein the space between the inner and outer walls that is not contained within said jacket is vented to the atmosphere for equalizing the ambient atmospheric pressure on both sides of the outer wall to prevent said wall from buckling. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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- 31. A reusable space vehicle for traveling between space and the atmosphere, comprising a fuselage having a planform loading factor of between about 50-100 kilograms per meter squared for limiting the amount of heat that the fuselage is subjected to during reentry into the upper level of said atmosphere, wherein the fuselage includes an inner wall of heat resistive metal for providing structural strength to the vehicle and for absorbing and dissipating heat, an outer wall of heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto, wherein the space defined between the inner and outer walls is at least partially evacuated to retard the convective transmission of heat, and wherein said fuselage also includes at least a first, resilient heat reflective sheet disposed between said inner and outer walls which defines an evacuated space between itself and said inner wall whose resiliency causes it to draw away from the inner wall to form a lengthened heat path between said inner and outer walls when ambient atmospheric pressure is relieved to retard the radiant transmission of heat between said outer and inner walls.
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34. A reusable space vehicle for traveling between space and the atmosphere, comprising a fuselage having a planform loading factor of between about 50 to 100 kilograms per meter squared for limiting the amount of heat that the fuselage wall is subjected to during reentry into the upper level of the atmosphere, wherein the fuselage includes an inner wall that defines the interior of the fuselage for providing all necessary structural strength to the vehicle, and for absorbing and dissipating the heat of reentry, an outer wall of heat resistive metal mounted over said inner wall in spaced relation thereto for radiating a substantial portion of the heat of reentry away from said inner wall, and a first flexible, heat reflective sheet disposed between said inner and outer walls for both retarding the radiant transmission of heat to said inner wall, and for defining a jacket within said fuselage that is at least partially evacuated for retarding the convective transmission of heat to said inner wall, wherein the exterior of said jacket is exposed to ambient air pressure, and wherein said first flexible, heat reflective sheet resiliently spaces itself away from said inner wall when said fuselage leaves the atmosphere and enters outer space, and maintains said spaced relationship during reentry into the upper level of the atmosphere despite being subjected to ambient air pressure associated with said upper level of said atmosphere.
Specification