Fuel tank leakage fiber flow sealant
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorAnthony San Miguel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-sealing fuel tank which utilizes elongated nonself-adhering polymer ibers attached to the inner surface of the tank wall and interwoven to form a carpet-like liner for efficiently sealing large tears and cored holes. After penetration of the tank wall by a large or tumbling projectile, escaping fluid causes nearby elongated fibers to be swept into the hole, thereby choking the escaping fluid flow. Conventional small caliber self-sealant incorporated in the tank wall then flows into the hole choked by fibers and completes the seal.
Claims7
A self-sealing tank wall comprising:
- a liquid impervious wall which is susceptible to puncture, and which has inner and outer surfaces for defining a liquid enclosure;
- sealing means attached to said inner surface of said liquid impervious wall for providing flowable sealant to the vicinity of a puncture in said liquid impervious wall;
- and
- a carpet-like liner attached to said sealing means, said liner having an interwoven configuration comprising elongated non-self-adherent fibers, and having said fibers individually extending from said liner, and said extending fibers being responsive to flow of said liqiud through said puncture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.