Parabolic mirror construction
AssigneeMartin Marietta Corporation
InventorDonald A. Stang
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Abstract
A concave mirror construction and a method of making concave mirrors, particularly of large focal length. A normally flat rigid glass mirror is held in a concave configuration under bending stress within its elastic limit by a holding layer of substantially dimensionally stable material bonded thereto. The holding layer is formed by a layer of open-ended expansible cellular material sandwiched between layers of pliable and solidifiable dimensionally stable material. The holding layer is bonded to the glass mirror while the mirror is being mechanically held in a concave configuration under bending stress within its elastic limit. The holding layer is cured in situ to a solid and dimensionally stable state which holds the glass mirror in the concave configuration.
Claims21
A multi-layer rigid panel having a facing layer formed by a stiff sheet of rigid reflective material, said stiff sheet of rigid material being held in a smoothly curved configuration under bending stress within its elastic limit by a holding layer of material bonded to said sheet or rigid material and preventing relaxation of said bending stress, said holding layer being substantially dimensionally stable in response to the stress imparted thereto by said bending stress in said facing layer to maintain said reflective facing layer in said smoothly curved configuration.
A concave mirror comprising a stiff and rigid glass mirror deformed into a concave configuration under bending stress within its elastic limit and normally being flat when unstressed, and a holding layer of substantially dimensionally stable material bonded to said glass mirror and holding said glass mirror in said concave configuration.
A method of making a multi-layer rigid panel having a curved reflective facing layer held under bending stress within its elastic limit by a holding layer of dimensionally stable material bonded thereto, comprising the steps of;
- providing a facing layer of substantially rigid material, bending said facing layer into a smoothly curved configuration within its elastic limit, bonding a holding layer of substantially dimensionally stable material to said facing layer of rigid material while holding said facing layer in said smoothly curved configuration under bending stress within its elastic limit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.