US 4,902,450 AGranted

Multi-element spherical shell generation

AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

InventorAndrew D. Morrison

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Abstract

A nozzle assembly in a multi-element spherical shell generation system includes first and second side-by-side spaced apart nozzles and a web portion extending between and connecting the nozzles. The first nozzle has an inner orifice adapted to discharge a first filler material and an outer annular orifice separated from and defined in concentric relation about the inner orifice and adapted to discharge a first shell material. The second nozzle has an inner orifice adapted to discharge a second filler material and an outer annular orifice separated from and defined in concentric relation about the inner orifice and adapted to discharge a second shell material. A multi-element spherical shell can be formed through employment of the nozzle assembly by merger with one another after discharge from the outer orifices of the nozzles of a pair of adjacent annular streams of liquid or molten shell wall material of different compositions and encapsulation by the mixed shell wall materials of a common encapsulated core fluids also simultaneously discharged by the inner orifices nozzles. On the other hand, the pair of encapsulating streams of shell wall material can be of the same material which merge together and encapsulate core fluids of different compositions which will merge together after discharge from the nozzles.

In a multi-element spherical shell generation system, a nozzle assembly comprising:

(a) a first nozzle having an inner orifice adapted to discharge a first filler material in a first inner stream and an outer annular orifice separated from and defined in concentric relation about said inner orifice and adapted to discharge a first shell material in a first annular outer stream, said first nozzle including an outer cylindrical wall and an inner cylindrical tube disposed concentrically within and spaced inwardly from said outer wall, said outer orifice of said first nozzle being defined between outer ends of said outer wall and inner tube and said inner orifice of said first nozzle being defined by said outer end of said inner tube;
(b) a second nozzle having an inner orifice adapted to discharge a second filler material in a second inner stream and an outer annular orifice separated from and defined in concentric relation about said inner orifice and adapted to discharge a second shell material in a second annular outer stream, said second nozzle including an outer cylindrical wall and an inner cylindrical tube disposed concentrically within and spaced inwardly from said outer wall, said outer orifice of said second nozzle being defined between outer ends of said outer wall and inner tube and said inner orifice of said second nozzle being defined by said outer end of said inner tube;
and
(c) a web portion extending between and rigidly interconnecting said first and second nozzles adjacent said respective outer orifices at said outer ends of said outer walls thereof so as to provide an outer end bridge extending between said outer orifices which causes said first and second outer streams of said first and second shell materials to couple together and combine into a single stream for subsequently generating a single shell wall which, in turn, causes said first and second inner streams to coalesce and form a pair of discrete core inclusions for subequently generating a single core inclusion within the single shell wall.

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Abstract

Claims16