# US 8,541,052 B2 · Method of manufacturing closed-cell surfaces with advanced drag-reduction properties

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- Number: US 8,541,052 B2
- Document ID: US8541052B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/476,144
- Filed: 2012-05-21
- Published: 2012-09-13
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2006-08-30
- Assignees: Alcatel Lucent
- Applicants: Marc Scott Hodes; Paul Robert Kolodner; Thomas Nikita Krupenkin; Todd Richard Salamon; Joseph Ashley Taylor
- Inventors: Marc Scott Hodes; Paul Robert Kolodner; Thomas Nikita Krupenkin; Todd Richard Salamon; Joseph Ashley Taylor
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541052B2

## CPC

- B05D 5/00: Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures
- B05D 7/22: to internal surfaces, e.g. of tubes
- B63B 1/34: by reducing surface friction
- B81C 1/00206: {Processes for functionalising a surface, e.g. provide the surface with specific mechanical, chemical or biological properties}
- F15D 1/02: in pipes or conduits
- F15D 1/10: around bodies of solid material
- B81B 2203/0315: Cavities
- Y02T 70/10: Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls
- Y10T 29/49885: with coating before or during assembling
- Y10T 428/249953: Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
- Y10T 428/249954: With chemically effective material or specified gas other than air, N, or carbon dioxide in void-containing component
- Y10T 428/249956: Void-containing component is inorganic
- Y10T 428/24996: With internal element bridging layers, nonplanar interface between layers, or intermediate layer of commingled adjacent foam layers
- Y10T 428/249976: Voids specified as closed
- B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02)
- B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06)
- B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01)
- F15D: FLUID DYNAMICS, i.e. METHODS OR MEANS FOR INFLUENCING THE FLOW OF GASES OR LIQUIDS
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method of manufacture comprising forming a plurality of cells on a substrate, wherein each of the cells has at least one dimension that is less than about 1 millimeter and is configured to hold a medium therein, and wherein each of the cells has walls that laterally enclose an area of a surface of the substrate and has a top opening. The method also comprises contacting the cells with a fluid and introducing a surfactant and a medium into the fluid to thereby form a foam layer contacting the walls of cells. Bubbles of the foam layer have fluid walls that include the surfactant, the bubbles are filled with the medium, and the bubbles remain substantially stationary on the top openings of the cells for a period on average of at least about 1 minute.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacture, comprising:
forming a plurality of cells on a substrate, wherein each of said cells has at least one dimension that is less than about 1 millimeter and is configured to hold a medium therein, and wherein each of said cells has walls that laterally enclose an area of a surface of said substrate and has a top opening; and
contacting said cells with a fluid;
introducing a surfactant and a medium into said fluid to thereby form a foam layer contacting said walls of cells, wherein:
bubbles of said foam layer have fluid walls that include said surfactant,
said bubbles are filled with said medium, and
said bubbles remain substantially stationary on said top openings of said cells for a period on average of at least about 1 minute.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein introducing said medium includes dissolving an amount of said medium in said fluid that exceeds a critical pressure of said medium in said cells.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a partial pressure of said medium in said fluid ranges from about 86 to 216 Torr and a concentration of said surfactant in said fluid ranges from about 0.1 to 1 wt percent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further including forming openings in said substrate, wherein each one of said cells contains at least one of said openings therein.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further including coupling said substrate to a second substrate to form a chamber between said substrate and said second substrate, wherein said each of said openings are in fluid communication with said chamber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further including coupling a flow regulator to the chamber, said flow regulator configured to control the introduction of said medium into said cells.