Adjustable parallel fluidic resistor bank
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorJohn F. Burke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluidic resistor module, including resistor channels connected in paral between two common ports, is permanently adjustable by deforming the cross sections of the individual channels by externally applied forces. The channels are formed on the interior surface of an exterior plate of a bonded plate module, and the indicia indicating the locations of the channels are formed on the exterior surface of the plate. A pair of adjustable resistor modules are used to null opposed fluidic bias means in a laminar fluidic device.
Claims5
A permanently adjustable fluidic resistor module comprising:
- a body member;
- input means for inputting a fluid flow to said body member;
- output means for outputting a fluid flow from said body member;
- a plurality of fluidic resistor channel means connected in parallel between said input means and said output means, said channel means situated side by side within said body member, each of said plurality of channel means separated from an adjacent channel means by a first portion of said body member;
- and
- a second portion of said body member adjacent to said channel means comprising a material capable of plastic deformation in response to a stress applied thereto, said body member comprising:
- a first exterior plate;
- a middle plate joined to said first exterior plate;
- a second exterior plate, formed of a material capable of plastic deformation, having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface having grooves thereon;
- wherein said resistor channel means are formed by joining said inner surface of said second exterior plate to said middle plate;
- and
- wherein said first exterior plate, said middle plate and said second exterior plate each have channel means for cooperatively providing a continuous path from said inlet means, to said resistor channel means and then to said outlet means;
- whereby the resistance of said resistor module may be permanently adjusted by deforming said material and thus the cross section of selected ones of said channel means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.