Thermal morphing anisogrid structure
AssigneeThe Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorAustin Phoenix
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermally-controlled actuator includes a cylindrical anisogrid structure formed from a plurality of circumferentially offset clockwise and counter-clockwise helical members, and a plurality of longitudinally offset cylindrical ring members. A thermal control element is configured to control the temperature of at least some of the members. The cylindrical anisogrid structure has a top interface constraint and a bottom interface constraint, and the thermal control element is configured to control a displacement of the top interface constraint relative to the bottom interface constraint via control of the temperature of at least one of the helical members.
Claims13
A thermally-controlled actuator comprising:
- a cylindrical anisogrid structure formed from a plurality of circumferentially offset clockwise helical members having a clockwise helical pitch angle, a plurality of circumferentially offset counter-clockwise helical members having a counter-clockwise helical pitch angle, and a plurality of longitudinally offset cylindrical ring members;
- and
- a thermal control element configured to control the temperature of at least one of the clockwise helical members and at least one of the counter-clockwise helical members,
- wherein the cylindrical anisogrid structure has a top interface constraint and a bottom interface constraint, and
- wherein the thermal control element is configured to control a displacement of the top interface constraint relative to the bottom interface constraint via control of the temperature of at least one of the at least one clockwise helical member or the at least one counter-clockwise helical members.
A thermally-controlled actuator comprising:
- a lattice structure formed from a plurality of independent structural members having a single coefficient of thermal expansion, wherein the structural members are connected together in such a way that as any single structural member actuates via thermal change, a remainder of the structural members resist deformation of the lattice structure as a whole, resulting in a reduced output for a given input;
- and
- a thermal control element configured to control temperature of at least one structural member,
- wherein the plurality of structural members are thermally isolated from each other,
- wherein the structure has a top interface constraint and a bottom interface constraint, and
- wherein the thermal control element is configured to control a displacement of the top interface constraint relative to the bottom interface constraint via control of the temperature of the at least one structural member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.