Free-piston cutting machine
AssigneeBrookhaven Science Associates, LLC
InventorsGaby Ciccarelli, Manomohan Subudhi, Robert E. Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cutting machine includes a gun barrel for receiving a projectile. A compression tube is disposed in flow communication with the barrel and includes a piston therein. A reservoir is disposed in flow communication with the tube and receives a first gas under pressure. A second gas fills the compression tube on a front face of the piston. And, the pressurized first gas is discharged into the tube on a back face of the piston to accelerate the piston through the tube for compressing the second gas, and in turn launching the projectile through the barrel to impact a workpiece.
Claims20
A machine for cutting a workpiece by a projectile impact comprising. an elongate gun barrel for receiving said projectile;
- a compression tube disposed in flow communication with said barrel, and including a piston therein;
- a reservoir disposed in flow communication with said tube;
- means for supplying said reservoir with a first gas under pressure;
- means for supplying said tube on a front face of said piston with a second gas having a greater speed of sound therein than said first gas;
- and
- means for firing said first gas from said reservoir into said tube on an opposite back face of said piston to accelerate said piston through said tube for compressing said second gas and in turn launching said projectile through said barrel to impact said workpiece.
A method for cutting a workpiece by projectile impact comprising:
- accelerating a piston in a compression tube by applying to a back face thereof a first gas under pressure;
- compressing a second gas in said tube on an opposite front face of said piston as said piston accelerates therein, with said second gas having a greater speed of sound therein than said first gas;
- and
- firing said projectile through a barrel against said workpiece by applying said compressed second gas thereagainst.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.