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US 9,669,593 B2Granted
Light weight thermoplastic flex foam and hybrid duct system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsWalter Forrest Frantz, Jayant D. Patel, Douglas Dean Maben, Bruce Whitman, Douglas E. Freeman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aerospace vessel including a fuselage, a means for causing the fuselage to fly coupled to the fuselage, and an environmental control system within the fuselage. The environmental control system includes a duct made of closed cell thermoplastic foam, such as polyvinylidene fluoride foam.
Claims21
A duct comprising:
- a thermoplastic foam sheet having flammability properties for use in an environmental control system of a vehicle;
- a crenulated first edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet;
- a second edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet;
- a seam comprising the crenulated first edge compressed with the second edge;
- and
- a wire welded around an outer surface of the duct, the wire comprising a thermoplastic material, and the wire disposed in the shape of a helix.
3 more elements
A duct comprising:
- a PVDV thermoplastic foam sheet having flammability properties suitable for use in an aircraft;
- a crenulated first edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet;
- a second edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet, the crenulated first edge and the second edge being beveled, wherein the duct is formed by wrapping the thermoplastic foam sheet around a mandrel to overlap the crenulated first edge and the second edge and to define an internal shape of the thermoplastic foam sheet, wherein a tool is applied against the overlapped crenulated first edge and the second edge to compress the overlapped crenulated first edge and second edge together while heat is applied to the duct;
- and
- a wire welded around an outer surface of the sheet, the wire comprising a thermoplastic material, and the wire disposed in the shape of a helix.
2 more elements
A sheet assembly for forming a duct, the assembly comprising:
- a thermoplastic foam material sheet having flammability properties for use in an aircraft;
- a crenulated first edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet;
- a second edge of the thermoplastic foam sheet;
- the first edge and second edge joined at a seam so as to form the duct;
- and
- a wire welded around an outer surface of the sheet, the wire comprising a thermoplastic material, and the wire disposed in the shape of a helix.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.