Channel-type shell construction for rocket engines and the like

Claim 1

A ROCKET MOTOR CASING COMPRISING, AN ASSEMBLY OF ELONGATED CHANNEL MEMBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY AND ARRANGED IN CONTIGUOUS ANNULAR RELATION, THE WEBS OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS CONSTITUTING THE INNER SURFACES OF THE WALL OF SAID CASING, THE RIBS OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARD WITH ADJACENT RIBS SECURED TOGETHER TO PRODUCE A UNITARY CONSTRUCTION, A RIBBON ENCIRCLING SAID ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTED TO DEFINE WITH SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES FOR REGENERATIVE COOLING, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CAP STRIPS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID RIBS FOR PROVIDING A GREATER BONDING AREA BETWEEN SAID RIBBON AND SAID ASSEMBLY, EACH CAP STRIP INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSED FLANGES FOR FACEWISE CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID RIBBON, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LEGS FOR FACEWISE CONTACT WITH THE SIDE WALLS OF ADJACENT RIBS, A DEFORMABLE WEB BETWEEN SAID FLANGES PROVIDING SAID CAP STRIP WITH AN INITIAL CONFIGURATION WHEREIN SAID LEGS EXTEND AT A SLIGHT ACUTE ANGLE TO EACH OTHER AND A FINAL CONFIGURATION WHEREIN SAID LEGS LIE IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL CLOSELY SPACED PLANES, MEANS RIGIDLY SECURING SAID FLANGES TO SAID CLOSURE MEANS WHEN SAID CAP STRIP HAS SAID FINAL CONFIGURATION, AND MEANS RIGIDLY SECURING SAID LEGS TO SAID RIBS WHEN SAID CAP STRIP HAS SAID FINAL CONFIGURATION.