Aircraft gun-blast diffusers, plugs for aircraft gun-blast diffusers, and methods of making such plugs
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsGarrett B. Peters, Lucian Woods, Robert R. Johnson, Daniel E. Pulcher, Anthony C. Roberts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plug for insertion into a blast-tube exit cavity of a gun-blast diffuser comprises a plug front surface, a plug rear surface, a plug side surface that extends between the plug front surface and the plug rear surface, a body, comprising a polyurethane foam, and a substrate, coupled to the body and comprising a conductive nonwoven fabric, impregnated with a polyurethane matrix. The plug front surface of the plug is formed by the substrate. The plug rear surface of the plug is formed by the body. The plug side surface of the plug is formed by the substrate and the body.
Claims20
A plug for insertion into a blast-tube exit cavity of a gun-blast diffuser, the plug comprising:
- a plug front surface;
- a plug rear surface;
- a plug side surface that extends between the plug front surface and the plug rear surface;
- a body, comprising a polyurethane foam;
- and
- a substrate, coupled to the body and comprising a conductive nonwoven fabric, impregnated with a polyurethane matrix,
- wherein:
- the plug front surface is formed by the substrate and has a front-surface area;
- the plug rear surface is formed by the body;
- the plug side surface is formed by the substrate and the body and has a side-surface area;
- a ratio of the front-surface area to the side-surface area is from 1.4:1 to 2.6:1;
- and
- the polyurethane foam has a density of approximately 84.9 kilograms per cubic meter and a compressive strength from approximately 68,947 pascals to 496,423 pascals.
A gun-blast diffuser for an aircraft, the gun-blast diffuser comprising:
- a blast tube, comprising a blast-tube exit cavity;
- a plug, comprising:
- a plug front surface;
- a plug rear surface;
- a plug side surface that extends between the plug front surface and the plug rear surface;
- a body, comprising a polyurethane foam;
- and
- a substrate, coupled to the body and comprising a conductive nonwoven fabric, impregnated with a polyurethane matrix,
- wherein:
- at least a portion of the plug is located within the blast-tube exit cavity;
- the plug front surface is defined by the substrate and has a front-surface area;
- the plug rear surface is defined by the body;
- and
- the plug side surface is defined by the substrate and the body and has a side-surface area;
- a ratio of the front-surface area to the side-surface area is from 1.4:1 to 2.6:1;
- and
- the polyurethane foam has a density of approximately 84.9 kilograms per cubic meter and a compressive strength from approximately 68,947 pascals to 496,423 pascals.
A method of making a plug for insertion into a blast-tube exit cavity of a gun-blast diffuser, the plug comprising a plug front surface, a plug rear surface, and a plug side surface that extends between the plug front surface and the plug rear surface, the method comprising steps of:
- impregnating a conductive nonwoven fabric with a polyurethane matrix to form a substrate;
- and
- coupling the substrate to a body, comprising a polyurethane foam, so that:
- the plug front surface is formed by the substrate and has a front-surface area;
- the plug rear surface is formed by the body;
- the plug side surface is formed by the substrate and the body and has a side surface area;
- a ratio of the front-surface area to the side-surface area is from 1.4:1 to 2.6:1;
- and
- the polyurethane foam has a density of approximately 84.9 kilograms per cubic meter and a compressive strength from approximately 68,947 pascals to 496,423 pascals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.