High performance ablative material construction

Abstract

Abstract A HIGH TEMPERATURE TAPE FOR USE IN PROTECTING A STRUCTURAL ITEM TO BE SUBJECTED TO HIGH TEMPERATURE, AND THE METHOD WHEREBY THIS NOVEL TAPE IS MADE ARE SET FORTH. THE TAPE IS PRINCIPALLY CONSTITUTED BY A NUMBER OF ELONGATE CARRIER FIBERS DISPOSED IN AN ESSENTIALLY ALIGNED ARRAY, AND A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPARATIVELY SHORT FIBERS DISPOSED IN A NONWOVEN MANNER ESSENTIALLY TRANSVERSLY TO THE ELONGATE FIBERS. THE SHORT FIBERS TYPICALLY EXTEND BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE CARRIER FIBERS, AT LEAST ON ONE SIDE, THUS TO CREATE A PLIABLE, FRINGED TAPE CAPABLE OF BEING WRAPPED FOR A NUMBER OF TURNS ABOUT AN ITEM TO BE PROTECTED. THIS WRAPPING MAY BE DONE IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE FRINGE FORMED BY THE SHORT ORTHOGONALLY PLACED FIBERS IS AVAILABLE TO EXTEND OVER AND COVER PREVIOUS TURNS OF THE TAPE. THE FIBERS ARE OF TEMPERATURE RESISTANT MATERIAL, AND VARIOUS MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR SECURING THE SHORT FIBERS TO THE ELONGATE FIBERS, INCLUDING THE USE OF CERTAIN RESINS. IF RESIN IS USED, IT MAY BE OF A TYPE THAT CAN BE CURED SUBSEQUENT TO THE LAYUP OF A LENGTH OF THE TAPE INTO A DESIRED CONFIGURATION, SUCH AS A MISSILE NOSE CONE.

Inventors

• 👤 J Casadevall

Bibliographic Details