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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsPhilip J. Dudt, H. John Nasrin, Hiren D. Balsara
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Exemplary inventive practice provides a structure that is attributed with superior resistance to loading. For example, an inventive structure includes two coaxial axisymmetric (e.g., cylindrical) shells and a granulation-filled matrix material occupying the peripheral space between the shells. According to some inventive embodiments, the granulation-filled matrix material has a loading-responsive matrix (e.g., shear-thickening fluid or highly rate-sensitive polymer) and granules dispersed therein. When the inventive structure encounters pressure loading at its exterior shell, the consistency of the loading-responsive matrix becomes thicker or firmer and thereby promotes, among the granules, interactive mechanisms (e.g., friction and/or arching) that reinforce the granulation-filled matrix material. According to some inventive embodiments, the granulation-filled matrix material has a magnetic-field-responsive matrix and magnetizable granules dispersed therein, and is magnetically fortified via application of a magnetic field (e.g., continuously applied where the matrix is magnetorheological fluid, or temporarily applied where the matrix is rheological fluid containing diamagnetic particles).
A structure comprising an axisymmetric body and a granularly filled matrix material, said axisymmetric body characterized by an interior space, said granularly filled matrix material confined in said interior space and including a magnetorheological fluid and a plurality of flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules dispersed in said magnetorheological fluid, said magnetorheological fluid including a carrier fluid and a plurality of magnetizable tiny particles contained in said carrier fluid, said magnetizable tiny particles selected from the group consisting of spheroidal magnetizable microparticles, ellipsoidal magnetizable microparticles, spheroidal magnetizable nanoparticles, and ellipsoidal magnetizable nanoparticles, wherein while a magnetic field is applied to said granularly filled matrix material said magnetorheological fluid thickens, at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules frictionally interact, at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules configuratively interact, and at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules are magnetically attracted to each other, said applied magnetic field thereby strengthening said structure as compared with said structure in the absence of said applied magnetic field, wherein said strengthening of said structure is associated with a magnetic attraction by said magnetic field of at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules and at least some said magnetizable tiny particles, wherein said configurative interaction among some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules includes arching forces between at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules, and wherein said arching forces are associated with a tendency of said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules to change angles in the presence of said applied magnetic field.
A structure comprising an axisymmetric body and a granularly filled matrix material, said axisymmetric body characterized by an interior space, said granularly filled matrix material confined in said interior space and including an anti-magnetic rheological fluid and a plurality of magnetizable macroparticulate granules dispersed in said anti-magnetic rheological fluid, said anti-magnetic rheological fluid being a rheological fluid including a carrier fluid and a plurality of diamagnetic tiny particles contained in said carrier fluid, each said diamagnetic tiny particle characterized by being strongly magnetically repelled by a magnetic field, said diamagnetic tiny particles selected from the group consisting of pyrolytic graphite microparticles, bismuth microparticles, pyrolytic graphite nanoparticles, and bismuth nanoparticles, wherein said structure has been strengthened by a temporary application of a magnetic field, wherein said strengthening of said structure is characterized by an interlocking among at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules, wherein said strengthening of said structure is associated with a magnetic attraction by said magnetic field of at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules, and wherein said strengthening of said structure is further associated with a magnetic repelling by said magnetic field of at least some said diamagnetic tiny particles.
An apparatus comprising a structure including two hollow cylinders and a granularly filled matrix material, said two hollow cylinders being characterized by different diameters and being coaxially situated so as to define an annular cylindrical space therebetween, said granularly filled matrix material at least substantially occupying said annular cylindrical space and including a magnetorheological fluid and a plurality of flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules dispersed in said magnetorheological fluid, said magnetorheological fluid including a carrier fluid and a plurality of magnetizable tiny particles contained in said carrier fluid, said magnetizable tiny particles selected from the group consisting of spheroidal magnetizable microparticles, ellipsoidal magnetizable microparticles, spheroidal magnetizable nanoparticles, and ellipsoidal magnetizable nanoparticles, wherein when a magnetic field is applied with respect to said granularly filled matrix material at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules are magnetized, at least some said flat magnetizable tiny particles are magnetized, said magnetorheological fluid increases in viscosity, arching forces manifest between at least some said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules, said arching forces are associated with a tendency of said flat magnetizable macroparticulate granules to change angles in the presence of said applied magnetic field, and said structure is strengthened.
An apparatus comprising a structure including two hollow cylinders and a granularly filled matrix material, said two hollow cylinders being characterized by different diameters and being coaxially situated so as to define an annular cylindrical space therebetween, said granularly filled matrix material at least substantially occupying said annular cylindrical space and including an anti-magnetic rheological fluid and a plurality of magnetizable macroparticulate granules dispersed in said anti-magnetic rheological fluid, said anti-magnetic rheological fluid being a rheological fluid including a carrier fluid and a plurality of diamagnetic tiny particles contained in said carrier fluid, each said diamagnetic tiny particle characterized by being strongly magnetically repelled by a magnetic field, said diamagnetic tiny particles selected from the group consisting of pyrolytic graphite microparticles, bismuth microparticles, pyrolytic graphite nanoparticles, and bismuth nanoparticles, wherein at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules have been rendered in an interlocked condition as a result of an application of a magnetic field, wherein said interlocked condition of said at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules is associated with a magnetic repulsion of said diamagnetic tiny particles by said magnetic field, wherein said interlocked condition of said at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules is further associated with a magnetic attraction of said magnetizable macroparticulate granules by said magnetic field, and wherein said interlocked condition of said at least some said magnetizable macroparticulate granules is further associated with a magnetic interaction between said diamagnetic tiny particles and said magnetizable macroparticulate granules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.