High temperature skin construction

A metallic skin construction suitable for usage as a high temperature airfoil surface comprising:

• means providing an imperforate metallic skin surface in said skin construction;
• means providing first corrugations and second corrugations in said skin construction with said first and second corrugations being free to expand and contract in a relatively independent manner with respect to each other;
• said first corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient expansion of said skin construction in the direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations positioned in a direction substantially transverse to said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient thermal expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said second corrugations,
• whereby thermal stresses imposed on said skin construction are absorbed by deformation of said first and second corrugations which first and second corrugations act in a relatively independent manner as expansion joints in providing for controlled expansion of the skin construction without rupture of said imperforate metallic skin surface.

A metallic skin construction suitable for usage as a high temperature airfoil surface comprising:

• a fine mesh outer screen composed of a first set of wires and a second set of wires positioned transversely to said first set of wires;
• the wires in said first set having an undulating configuration to define first corrugations and the wires in said second set having an undulating configuration to define second corrugations;
• said first corrugations being generally transverse with respect to said second corrugations;
• a metallic foil having an imperforate surface positioned inwardly adjacent said outer screen;
• a layer of damping material positioned inwardly adjacent said metallic foil;
• a coarser mesh screen having a first set of wires and a second set of wires positioned generally transverse to the first set of wires in said coarser screen;
• said first set of wires in said coarser screen having an undulating configuration which defines first corrugations in said coarser screen;
• said second set of wires in said coarser screen having an undulating configuration which defines second corrugations which are positioned generally transverse to the first corrugations in said coarser screen;
• said coarser screen being positioned inwardly adjacent said layer of damping material, and
• means joining the outer screen, the metallic foil, the layer of damping material and the coarser screen to form a composite skin construction.

In combination, a metallic skin construction and support structure suitable for usage as a high temperature airfoil surface with the skin construction positioned in spaced relation to an underlying structure through said support structure, said combination comprising:

• means providing an imperforate metallic skin surface in said skin construction;
• means providing first corrugations and second corrugations in said skin construction with said first and second corrugations being free to expand and contract in a relatively independent manner with respect to each other;
• said first corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient expansion of said skin construction in the direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations positioned in a direction substantially transverse to said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient thermal expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said second corrugations;
• upstanding metallic support members connected to said skin construction;
• and
• said support members including a corrugated upstanding surface,
• whereby thermal stresses imposed on said skin construction are absorbed by deformation of said first and second corrugations which each act in a relatively independent manner as expansion joints in providing for controlled expansion of the skin construction without rupture of said imperforate metallic skin surface while thermal stresses imposed on said support members are absorbed by deformation of said corrugated upstanding surface.

In combination, a metallic skin construction and support structure suitable for usage as a high temperature airfoil surface with the skin construction positioned in spaced relation to an underlying structure through said support structure, said combination comprising:

• a screen having a first set of wires and a second set of wires positioned generally transverse to said first set of wires;
• the wires in said first set of wires having an undulating configuration which defines first corrugations and the wires in said second set of wires having an undulating configuration which defines second corrugations;
• said first corrugations being positioned generally transverse in respect to said second corrugations;
• said wires in said first set being movable with respect to the wires in said second set such that said first and second corrugations are free to expand and contract in a relatively independent manner with respect to each other;
• a metallic foil having an imperforate surface;
• means joining the foil to the screen at discretely spaced points;
• said first corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient thermal expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said second corrugations;
• the foil being sufficiently thin to deform without rupturing during relative movement of the foil and screen at intermediate locations between the discretely spaced points;
• upstanding metallic support members connected to said skin construction, and
• said support members including a corrugated upstanding surface,
• whereby thermal stresses imposed on said skin construction are absorbed by deformation of said first and second corrugations which each act in a relatively independent manner as expansion joints in providing for controlled expansion of the skin construction without rupture of said imperforate metallic skin surface while thermal stresses imposed on said support members are absorbed by deformation of said corrugated upstanding surface.

In combination, a high temperature skin construction, an underlying structure in spaced relation to the skin construction and a support structure for maintaining the spaced relation between the skin construction and the underlying structure, said combination comprising:

• means providing an imperforate metallic skin surface in said skin construction;
• means providing first corrugations and second corrugations in said skin construction with said first and second corrugations being free to expand and contract in a relatively independent manner with respect to each other;
• said first corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations positioned in a direction substantially transverse to said first corrugations;
• said second corrugations having a size and spacing which permits resilient thermal expansion of said skin construction in a direction along the plane of said metallic skin surface and in a direction transverse to the direction of said second corrugations;
• upstanding metallic support members connected to said skin construction;
• said support members including a corrugated upstanding surface;
• an underlying structure;
• said support members connected to said underlying structure to maintain a spaced relation between the skin construction and the underlying structure, and
• insulation in the space between the skin construction and the underlying structure,
• whereby thermal stresses imposed on said skin construction are absorbed by deformation of said first and second corrugations which each act in a relatively independent manner as expansion joints in providing for controlled expansion of the skin construction without rupture of said imperforate metallic skin surface while thermal stresses imposed on said support members are absorbed by deformation of said corrugated upstanding surface.