Strain compatible attachment for metallic thermal protection system for a space vehicle

• US 6,293,496 B1
• Filed: 11/03/1999
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ROHR Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Moe, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steele, George L.
• Application Number:
  US09/433,534
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 244/119, 244/158.A, 244/160, 244/121, 244/132, 109/78, 109/80, 411/180, 411/181, 411/175, 411/174, 411/428, 85/32, 432/5
• US Class Current: 244/120
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/503 Radiator panels
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/58 Thermal protection, e.g. heat shields
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/64 Systems for coupling or separating cosmonautic vehicles or parts thereof, e.g. docking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/043 with snap action
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0241 with the possibility for the connection to absorb deformation, e.g. thermal or vibrational

Abstract

A strain compatible attachment arrangement for releasably securing a plurality of metallic thermal protection system (TPS) panels to a space vehicle substructure to provide an outer mold line of the aeroshell of the vehicle. The TPS panels are spaced from the substructure to support aerodynamic loading on the TPS outer panel surface while isolating the outer panel surface from strains in the substructure and to isolate the vehicle substructure from direct thermal energy conductance though the outer TPS panel surface of the space vehicle. The attachment arrangement provides for a stand-off leg member to be secured at an inner end to the substructure and at its outer end to be releasably secured to a corner of a TPS panel, such panels being arranged in an edge abutting relationship. The outer end of each leg member includes a nutplate that is attached to such leg member by a clip and which has a locking portion that interlocks with a complementarily shaped locking insert positioned in a corner of a TPS panel to preclude rotation between the nutplate and the TPS panel when a bolt is inserted through the insert into locking engagement with the nutplate. Since each TPS panel is secured to each stand-off leg member from a position external to each panel, an individual TPS panel may be removed easily, as desired, for repair or replacement.

Claims

1. A strain compatible attachment arrangement for securing a plurality of metallic thermal protection system panels to a space vehicle substructure, which arrangement comprises:

a plurality of attachment means for attaching a plurality of said panels in a edge abutting relationship to a portion of a substructure of a space vehicle to provide a coterminous outer panel surface spaced from said substructure portion of the vehicle to support aerodynamic loading of said outer panel surface while isolating said outer panel surface from strains in said substructure and to isolate said vehicle substructure from direct thermal energy conductance through said outer panel surface of the space vehicle,

wherein each panel is shaped to have at least three corners, each of said plurality of attachment means comprises at least one stand-off leg member that is secured at a first end to said attachment means and is releasably secured at a second end to one corner of one panel, and said plurality of attachment means are secured to the substructure of the space vehicle to space the outer panel surface from the space vehicle substructure to isolate said outer panel surface from thermal expansion differences with said space vehicle substructure during vehicle tanking and during ascent and re-entry flight maneuvers.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said plurality of attachment means includes said at least one stand-off leg member that is releasably secured at said second end to one corner of a panel whereby each corner of each panel is separately coupled to the space vehicle substructure.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein each stand-off leg member cooperates with a panel to provide securement of each such panel to each stand-off leg member from a position exterior to an outer surface of each such panel.

4. The arrangement of claim 3 wherein each stand-off leg member is provided at said second end with a nutplate means placed in registration with said nutplate aperture which cooperates with a bolt inserted from the exterior of a panel through the panel to secure a corner of said panel to said stand-off leg member.

5. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein the nutplate means of each stand-off leg member is provided at its upper portion with a locking portion which is received by a complementarily shaped locking portion of an access aperture means provided in each corner of a panel to preclude any rotation between said nutplate means and the panel as a bolt is lockingly inserted into the nutplate means secured to upper portion of the stand-off leg member.

6. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein said locking portion of each nutplate means comprises an annular portion that is provided with a plurality of spaced projections that cooperate with a plurality of complementarily shaped spaced projections of an access member positioned in each access aperture means that is provided in each corner of each panel to lock each panel against rotation as a bolt member is lockingly inserted into the nutplate means secured to the upper portion of the bracket member.

7. The arrangement of claim 6 wherein each corner of each panel is provided with an aperture for fixedly receiving said access member,

and the bolt when inserted into a nutplate means has an upper outer surface that is substantially coterminous with the surrounding outer panel surface whereby a substantially smooth continuous outer surface is provided for each panel.

8. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein said stand-off leg member comprises a formed sheet metal member.

9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein each stand-off leg member is formed to include a longitudinally reinforcing stiffening rib.

10. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of attachment means comprises a common base member that is secured to the vehicle substructure and at least two stand-off members which extend upwardly for releasable locking engagement with adjacent corners of two abutting panels.

11. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of attachment means comprises a common base member that is secured to the vehicle substructure and at least three integral stand-off leg members which extend upwardly from said base member for releasable locking engagement with adjacent corners of three abutting panels.

12. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of attachment means comprises a common base member that is secured to the vehicle substructure and at least four integral stand-off leg members which extend upwardly from said base member for releasable locking engagement with adjacent corners of four abutting panels.

20. The arrangement of claim 3 wherein each stand-off leg member has a nutplate aperture formed through said second end of each stand-off leg member.

21. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said nutplate means is secured to said second end of each stand-off leg member by a clip member.

13. An arrangement for a low density, high stiffness, integrated, metallic, outer aeroshell assembly for a space vehicle, comprising:

an inner substructure of a space vehicle;

an outer aeroshell formed of a plurality of abutting metallic thermal protection system panels, each panel having at least three corners, that is spaced from said inner substructure and which provides an outside mold line surface for a space vehicle, and

a plurality of stand-off means secured to said inner substructure,

each of said plurality of stand-off means comprising at least one stand-off leg member that is secured at a base end to said attachment means and releasably and lockingly secured at a spaced end to one corner of one panel to support each panel and attach it to the substructure,

whereby thermal expansion differences and structural deflections between the space vehicle substructure and the outer aeroshell are accommodated during vehicle tanking, ascent and re-entry of the space vehicle.

14. The arrangement of claim 13 wherein said plurality of stand-off means comprises said at least one stand-off leg member that is secured at said base end to one of said plurality of attachment means and is releasably locked at said spaced end to each corner of each of said plurality of panels.

15. The arrangement of claim 14 wherein said at least one stand-off leg member is formed of a sheet metal material.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein each of said at least one stand-off leg members is engaged in releasable locking engagement at said spaced end with a corner portion of a similar number of said plurality of panels.

17. The arrangement of claim 16 wherein said at least one stand-off leg member is provided at its upper portion with a secured nutplate means which receives a locking bolt through an aperture provided in each corner of each of said plurality of panels for releasably locking each of said at least one stand-off leg members to a corner of each of said plurality of panels.

18. The arrangement of claim 17 which further includes a non-rotational means which precludes relative rotation between each of said at least one stand-off leg members and each corner of each of said plurality of panels while a locking bolt is being operatively inserted through the aperture into locking engagement with said nutplate means to secure each corner of each of said plurality of panels to each of said at least one stand-off leg members without inducing strain in either the panel of the stand-off leg member.

19. The arrangement of claim 18 wherein at least one of said plurality of stand-off means comprises four metallic stand-off leg members which are formed in a rosette to extend from a central base portion that is secured to the vehicle substructure, each stand-off leg member being formed of a sheet material and provided with a deformed longitudinally extending reinforcing rib portion and being releasably locked to a corner of one of four abutting metallic panels whereby the aeroshell provides the outer mold line surface of the space vehicle.

22. A strain compatible attachment arrangement for securing a plurality of metallic thermal protection system panels to a space vehicle substructure, which arrangement comprises:

a plurality of attachment means for attaching a plurality of said panels in a edge abutting relationship to a portion of a substructure of a space vehicle to provide a coterminous outer panel surface spaced from said substructure portion of the vehicle to support aerodynamic loading of said outer panel surface while isolating said outer panel surface from strains in said substructure and to isolate said vehicle substructure from direct thermal energy conductance through said outer panel surface of the space vehicle,

wherein each panel is shaped to have at least three corners, each of said plurality of attachment means comprises at least one stand-off leg member that is secured at a first end to said attachment means and is releasably secured at a second end to one corner of one panel, and said plurality of attachment means are secured to the substructure of the space vehicle to space the outer panel surface from the space vehicle substructure to isolate said outer panel surface from thermal expansion differences with said space vehicle substructure during vehicle tanking and during ascent and re-entry flight maneuvers,

wherein each stand-off leg member cooperates with a panel to provide securement of each such panel to each stand-off leg member from a position exterior to an outer surface of each such panel,

wherein each stand-off leg member has a nutplate aperture formed through said second end of each stand-off leg member,

wherein each stand-off leg member is provided at said second end with a nutplate means placed in registration with said nutplate aperture which cooperates with a bolt inserted from the exterior of a panel through the panel to secure a corner of said panel to said stand-off leg member, and

wherein said nutplate means is secured to said second end of each stand-off leg member by a clip member.