US 11,565,774 B2Granted

Additive manufactured water resistant closed-cell lattice structure for marine hull cavities

OwnerAdam Jon Noahinventor

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Abstract

Apparatus and associated methods relate to using an additive (material deposition) process to incrementally form a closed-cell lattice structure formed as a unitary body in the shape of a marine hull cavity, the unit cells of the closed-cell lattice structure are substantially hollow. In an illustrative example, a method may include (a) forming a closed-cell lattice structure through additive manufacture, the hull cavity material may be bonded to an upper manufactured liner and a lower manufactured liner through lamination or mechanical connection. Unit cells of the closed-cell lattice structure may include hollow voids filled with gases. Providing the additive manufactured closed-cell lattice structure with a unitary body and hollow voids to trap gases may further advantageously promote the buoyancy and reduce the degeneration of a marine hull.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a marine hull, the method comprising:

at least one of:
providing, or modelling an upper liner having a first configuration;
at least one of:
providing, or modelling a lower liner having a second configuration that substantially fits the first configuration of the upper liner;
simulating a cavity defined by a difference between the first configuration and the second configuration;
and;
using an additive manufacturing process to incrementally form, via additive manufacturing, a plurality of closed unit cells each trapping a quantity of at least one predetermined gas to form a closed-cell lattice structure configured to prevent water intrusion into the closed unit cells such that the closed-cell lattice structure is formed as a unitary body in the shape of the cavity, and unit cells of the closed-cell lattice structure comprise hollow voids filled with gases, wherein the gases comprise hydrogen gas.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/591,328Filed 2 Oct 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 3 Oct 2018
Published: US 2020/0108893 A19 Apr 2020
Granted: 31 Jan 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification32 codes

B63B 5/24
Hulls characterised by their construction of non-metallic material: made predominantly of plastics
B29D 24/004
Formed with structures, e.g. cores placed between two plates or sheets, e.g. partially filled: the structure having vertical or oblique ribs
B32B 15/085
Of synthetic resin: comprising polyolefins
B32B 15/09
Of synthetic resin: comprising polyesters