Self-healing shield configured to protect an environment from high velocity particles
OwnerAndreas Olafsrud, Austin Pham +2inventors
InventorsAndreas Olafsrud, Austin Pham, Christian Williams, Frederick Herrmann
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Abstract
A self-healing shield panel for protecting a spacecraft against High Velocity Particles (HVPs). The self-healing shield includes an exterior layer and an interior layer connected to define a cavity which contains a dilatant fluid with a plurality of spheroids. The kinetic energy from HVP impact is dispersed by the plurality of spheroids and absorbed by the dilatant fluid. The plurality of spheroids within the cavity move to block a puncture hole in the shield.
Claims20
A self-healing shield panel for protecting an interior environment from impact of a high-velocity particle (HVP), the shield panel comprising:
- an exterior shield layer exposed to an exterior environment on a first surface of the exterior shield layer;
- an interior shield layer exposed to the interior environment on a first surface of the interior shield layer, the interior shield layer connected to the exterior shield layer to define a cavity between the exterior shield layer and the interior shield layer;
- a dilatant fluid in the cavity;
- and
- a plurality of spheroids arranged in the dilatant fluid to absorb kinetic energy from the HVP,
- wherein when the interior environment is in an artificial gravity state, the cavity includes a first cavity layer on the exterior shield layer and a second cavity layer on the interior shield layer, wherein the first and second cavity layers include the dilatant fluid, wherein the plurality of spheroids are arranged only in the first cavity layer during a rest state where zero kinetic energy exists in the cavity.
A self-healing shield panel for protecting an interior environment from impact of a high-velocity particle (HVP), the shield panel comprising:
- an exterior shield layer exposed to an exterior environment on a first surface of the exterior shield layer;
- an interior shield layer exposed to the interior environment on a first surface of the interior shield layer, the interior shield layer connected to the exterior shield layer to define a cavity between the exterior shield layer and the interior shield layer;
- a dilatant fluid in the cavity;
- and
- a plurality of spheroids arranged in the dilatant fluid to absorb kinetic energy from the HVP;
- a mesh member in the cavity,
- wherein when the interior environment is in a zero gravity state, the cavity includes a first cavity layer on the exterior shield layer and a second cavity layer on the interior shield layer, wherein the first and second cavity layers include the dilatant fluid, wherein the mesh member retains the plurality of spheroids only in the first cavity layer during a rest state where substantially zero kinetic energy exists.
A self-healing shield panel for protecting an interior environment from impact of a high-velocity particle (HVP), the shield panel comprising:
- an exterior shield layer exposed to an exterior environment on a first surface of the exterior shield layer;
- an interior shield layer exposed to the interior environment on a first surface of the interior shield layer, the interior shield layer connected to the exterior shield layer to define a cavity between the exterior shield layer and the interior shield layer;
- a dilatant fluid in the cavity;
- and
- a plurality of spheroids arranged in the dilatant fluid to absorb kinetic energy from the HVP,
- wherein 67% of the plurality of spheroids have a diameter of 0.17 mm, 22% have a diameter of 0.7 mm, 7.6% have a diameter of 3 mm, and 3.4% have a diameter of 1.26 cm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.