Method for the fabrication of a double-walled construction element

Claim 1

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: (a) providing a stack of intermittently joined elongate strips which will form a honeycomb structure when expanded in the direction perpendicular to the strips and machining said stack to present opposite side faces, defined by the cumulative opposite side edges of the strips, which are in predetermined relationship to each other and with the stack presenting a lengthwise dimension commensurate with the lengths of the strips and a widthwise dimension commensurate with the cumulative thickness of the strips; (b) expanding said stack in the direction perpendicular to said strips to form a honeycomb structure whose widthwise dimension has been increased from said widthwise dimension of the stack to a first predetermined value while the lengthwise dimension of the honeycomb structure has decreased from said lengthwise dimension of the stack to a second predetermined value and honeycomb cells extend between said opposite side faces; (c) wrapping and affixing the expanded stack in its widthwise direction around a hollow tubular member having an outer surface whose circumference is equal to said first predetermined value of the widthwise dimension of the honeycomb structure so that said one opposite side face of the honeycomb structure contacts said outer surface and completely encompasses the hollow tubular member to deform the other opposite side face of the honeycomb structure into a predetermined shape; and (d) fitting the structure of step (c) lengthwise into an outer hollow tubular member having an inner surface conforming to said predetermined shape of said other opposite side face of the structure of step (c) and joining said other opposite side face to said inner surface to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 2

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: (a) providing a stack of intermittently joined elongate strips which will form a honeycomb structure when expanded in the direction perpendicular to the strips and machining said stack to present opposite side faces, defined by the cumulative opposite side edges of the strips, which are in predetermined relationship to each other and with the stack presenting a lengthwise dimension commensurate with the lengths of the strips and a widthwise dimension commensurate with the cumulative thickness of the strips; (b) expanding said stack in the direction perpendicular to said strips to form a honeycomb structure whose widthwise dimension has been increased from said widthwise dimension of the stack to a first predetermined value while the lengthwise dimension of the honeycomb structure has decreased from said lengthwise dimension of the stack to a second predetermined value and honeycomb cells extend between said opposite side faces; (c) wrapping and affixing the expanded stack in its widthwise direction around a hollow tubular member having an outer surface whose circumference is equal to said first predetermined value of the widthwise dimension of the honeycomb structure so that said one opposite side face of the honeycomb structure contacts said outer surface and completely encompasses the hollow tubular member to deform the other opposite side face of the honeycomb structure into a predetermined shape; and (d) fitting the structure of step (c) lengthwise into an outer hollow tubular member having an inner surface conforming to said predetermined shape of said other opposite side face of the structure of step (c) and joining said other opposite side face to said inner surface to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 10

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: providing a stack of rectangular strips which are joined at spaced areas along their lengths so that opposite side faces of the stack are defined by opposite longitudinal edges of the strips; machining said stack so that said opposite side faces are accurately formed; expanding the stack to form a honeycomb structure; wrapping the honeycomb structure around an inner member whose outer surface dimensionally conforms to one opposite side face of the honeycomb structure to form a subassembly whose outer surface is defined by the other side face of the honeycomb structure as deformed by said wrapping; calibrating said outer surface of the subassembly to predetermined shape; inserting the calibrated subassembly into a tubular member whose inner surface conforms with said predetermined shape; and joining the inserted subassembly to said tubular member to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 11

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: providing a stack of rectangular strips which are joined at spaced areas along their lengths so that opposite side faces of the stack are defined by opposite longitudinal edges of the strips; machining said stack so that said opposite side faces are accurately formed; expanding the stack to form a honeycomb structure; wrapping the honeycomb structure around an inner member whose outer surface dimensionally conforms to one opposite side face of the honeycomb structure to form a subassembly whose outer surface is defined by the other side face of the honeycomb structure as deformed by said wrapping; calibrating said outer surface of the subassembly to predetermined shape; inserting the calibrated subassembly into a tubular member whose inner surface conforms with said predetermined shape; and joining the inserted subassembly to said tubular member to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 13

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: providing inner and outer tubular members which when in coaxial relation define an annular volume between them; providing a substantially solid stack of intermittently joined strips which may be expanded into honeycomb configuration having a volume exceeding that of said annular volume; machining said stack dimensionally; expanding the machined stack until one side face thereof conforms with the outer surface of said inner tubular member, wrapping such one side face around said inner tubular member and affixing it thereto to form a substantially rigid subassembly in which the other side face of the machined and expanded stack defines the girthwise shape of the subassembly; calibrating said grithwise shape of the subassembly so that it may be inserted into said outer tubular member; inserting the subassembly into the outer tubular member and affixing it thereto to provide the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 14

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the steps of: providing inner and outer tubular members which when in coaxial relation define an annular volume between them; providing a substantially solid stack of intermittently joined strips which may be expanded into honeycomb configuration having a volume exceeding that of said annular volume; machining said stack dimensionally; expanding the machined stack until one side face thereof conforms with the outer surface of said inner tubular member, wrapping such one side face around said inner tubular member and affixing it thereto to form a substantially rigid subassembly in which the other side face of the machined and expanded stack defines the girthwise shape of the subassembly; calibrating said grithwise shape of the subassembly so that it may be inserted into said outer tubular member; inserting the subassembly into the outer tubular member and affixing it thereto to provide the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 15

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the step of: (a) providing an unexpanded honeycomb structure in which a stack of strips are in face-to-face relation and joined at spaced areas along their lengths so that opposite side faces of the unexpanded honeycomb structure are defined by opposite edges of the strips; (b) machining the unexpanded honeycomb structure of step (a) so that said opposite side faces are contoured in predetermined fashion; (c) expanding the unexpanded honeycomb structure of step (b) to form an expanded honeycomb structure in which one side face thereof defines a first face of open honeycomb form and the other side face defines a second face of open honeycomb form in which cells of the expanded honeycomb structure extend between said first and second open honeycomb faces; (d) engaging said first face of the expanded honeycomb structure upon a rigid first member having a contoured surface which does not conform to the contour of said first face and deforming the expanded honeycomb structure to conform said first face with said contoured surface while said second face is also altered in contour and the cells of the honeycomb structure diverge in one direction between said first and second faces, and fixing said first face of the deformed expanded structure to said surface of the first member to form a subassembly; and (e) engaging the altered contour of the second face of the subassembly with a surface of a second rigid member which is contoured in conformity with the altered contour of said second face and fixing said second face of the subassembly to the contoured surface of said second rigid member to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.

Claim 16

The method of making a honeycomb-reinforced structure which comprises the step of: (a) providing an unexpanded honeycomb structure in which a stack of strips are in face-to-face relation and joined at spaced areas along their lengths so that opposite side faces of the unexpanded honeycomb structure are defined by opposite edges of the strips; (b) machining the unexpanded honeycomb structure of step (a) so that said opposite side faces are contoured in predetermined fashion; (c) expanding the unexpanded honeycomb structure of step (b) to form an expanded honeycomb structure in which one side face thereof defines a first face of open honeycomb form and the other side face defines a second face of open honeycomb form in which cells of the expanded honeycomb structure extend between said first and second open honeycomb faces; (d) engaging said first face of the expanded honeycomb structure upon a rigid first member having a contoured surface which does not conform to the contour of said first face and deforming the expanded honeycomb structure to conform said first face with said contoured surface while said second face is also altered in contour and the cells of the honeycomb structure diverge in one direction between said first and second faces, and fixing said first face of the deformed expanded structure to said surface of the first member to form a subassembly; and (e) engaging the altered contour of the second face of the subassembly with a surface of a second rigid member which is contoured in conformity with the altered contour of said second face and fixing said second face of the subassembly to the contoured surface of said second rigid member to form the honeycomb-reinforced structure.