One piece spacecraft frame
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJames O. Cappa, Harry W. Dursch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single piece frame (12) for a spacecraft, the frame manufactured as fiber composite sheets (40, 42) overlaying a core (38). The core (38) is preferably made of aluminum and formed with a honeycomb cross-section. The frame (12) provides a mounting structure to which payload, spacecraft equipment, and boost vehicle are attached. The frame (12) can be reinforced locally by varying the core density or the wall thickness so as to resist concentrated or localized loads. The orientation of the fiber in the composite sheets may also be varied so as to strengthen the frame in a desired location.
Claims18
A unitary, tube-shaped spacecraft frame comprising:
- a core configured in the tube shape of the outer shell of the spacecraft and having an inner circumference and an outer circumference;
- a first continuous composite layer formed from lagers of prepreg sheets and comprising fibers in a polymer matrix, the first continuous composite layer covering the inside of the core and extending in a continuous layer around the inner circumference of the core;
- and
- a second continuous composite layer formed from layers of prepreg sheets and comprising fibers in a polymer matrix, the second composite layer covering the outside of the core and extending in a continuous layer around the outer circumference of the core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.