← Back to Patent Explorer
US4790808A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Composite material centrifuge rotor

Assignee: Beckman Coulter Inc
•
Filing: 1987-06-05
•
Granted: 1988-12-13
•
Expires: 2007-06-05
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A composite material centrifuge rotor and process of construction of the rotor is disclosed. A rotor having high stiffness of fibers, preferably carbon, bound together with resin is disclosed. The rotor includes a top disk, a bottom disk and a spacer belt spacing the two disks apart to form a rotor assembly. The top and bottom disks are fabricated by overlying multiple layers of tape, the tape being made from longitudinally extending and parallel fibers held together with resin. Successive layers of tape are oriented so as to vary the longitudinal direction of the fiber with respect to a preselected radius vector from the spin axis of the rotor. When the tape is compiled in multiple layers to a thickness of the top and bottom disk, the tape is compressed between two metal plates and cured at a temperature well above the expected autoclave temperature of sterilization of the rotor. Thereafter, the entire assembly is wound by a peripheral belt with resin impregnated high stiffness fiber. This fiber is cured and shrinks during curing to exert hoop tension around the periphery of the rotor assembly. This hoop tension in turn radially prestresses the rotor equal and opposite to the radial tension forces of centrifugal force when the rotor is in use.

Inventors

  • 👤 Alireza M. Piramoon

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-03 20:03
CPC Classifications
B; B04; B04B; B04B7/00; B04B7/08; B04B7/085; B29; B29C; B29C53/00; B29C53/56; B29C53/58; B29C53/60; B29C53/62; B29C53/66

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 169 words
A composite rotor construction comprising in combination: a top disk and a bottom disk, each said disk fabricated from laminated layers with longitudinally extending fibers for reinforcing, said fibers bound together with resin; said laminated layers having a sequentially repeating pattern of radial directions having different angular orientations with respect to a selected radii extending normal to the spin axis of said rotor, each said laminated layer being normal to the spin axis of said rotor; a spacer ring comprising a wound fiber hoop sandwiched between said top disk and said bottom disk to form a rotor assembly; a radial fiber hoop cured to shrink under tension over the periphery of said rotor assembly and over the outside surfaces of said top disk, said bottom disk, and said spacer ring therebetween whereby said rotor assembly at said top disk, bottom disk, and spacer ring are radially compressed with respect to the spin axis of said rotor equal and opposite to the dynamic forces of radial tension on said rotor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 169 words
A composite rotor construction comprising in combination: a top disk and a bottom disk, each said disk fabricated from laminated layers with longitudinally extending fibers for reinforcing, said fibers bound together with resin; said laminated layers having a sequentially repeating pattern of radial directions having different angular orientations with respect to a selected radii extending normal to the spin axis of said rotor, each said laminated layer being normal to the spin axis of said rotor; a spacer ring comprising a wound fiber hoop sandwiched between said top disk and said bottom disk to form a rotor assembly; a radial fiber hoop cured to shrink under tension over the periphery of said rotor assembly and over the outside surfaces of said top disk, said bottom disk, and said spacer ring therebetween whereby said rotor assembly at said top disk, bottom disk, and spacer ring are radially compressed with respect to the spin axis of said rotor equal and opposite to the dynamic forces of radial tension on said rotor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 22 words
The invention of claim 1 and wherein said bottom disk and top disk are configured with notches for receiving said spacer belt.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 18 words
The invention of claim 1 and wherein said laminated layers comprise tape having fibers extending in one direction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 33 words
The invention of claim 1 and wherein said top disk and said bottom disk include registered holes and said registered holes are angularly inclined with respect to the spin axis of said rotor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 172 words
A process for constructing a composite rotor of resin and fiber comprising the steps of: providing thin layers having longitudinally extending fibers bound together with resin; cutting and placing said thin layers with said longitudinally extending fibers into pieces with said pieces centered about the spin axis of said rotor; orienting said respective thin layers to repeating patterns of radial directions having differing orientations with respect to a selected radius vector from said spin axis; pressing and curing said thin layers together to form at least top and bottom disks for said rotor; placing a spacer hoop between said top and bottom disks to form a hollow rotor assembly and confronting said disk over said spacer hoop; winding resin soaked fiber under tension around the exterior of said hollow rotor assembly; and curing said resin soaked in wound fiber over said hollow rotor assembly to shrink said windings onto said hollow rotor assembly under hoop tension whereby said rotor assembly is prestressed radially opposite to radial loadings of said rotor while centrifuging.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 172 words
A process for constructing a composite rotor of resin and fiber comprising the steps of: providing thin layers having longitudinally extending fibers bound together with resin; cutting and placing said thin layers with said longitudinally extending fibers into pieces with said pieces centered about the spin axis of said rotor; orienting said respective thin layers to repeating patterns of radial directions having differing orientations with respect to a selected radius vector from said spin axis; pressing and curing said thin layers together to form at least top and bottom disks for said rotor; placing a spacer hoop between said top and bottom disks to form a hollow rotor assembly and confronting said disk over said spacer hoop; winding resin soaked fiber under tension around the exterior of said hollow rotor assembly; and curing said resin soaked in wound fiber over said hollow rotor assembly to shrink said windings onto said hollow rotor assembly under hoop tension whereby said rotor assembly is prestressed radially opposite to radial loadings of said rotor while centrifuging.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 117 words
A composite rotor construction comprising in combination: at least one disk, said disk fabricated from laminated layers with longitudinally extending fibers for reinforcing, said fibers bound together with resin; said laminated layers having sequentially repeating patterns of radial directions having different angular orientations with respect to a selected radii extending normal to the spin axis of said rotor, each said laminated layer being normal to the spin axis of said rotor; and, a radial fiber hoop cured to shrink under tension over the periphery of said disk whereby said disk is radially compressed with respect to the spin axis of said composite rotor construction equal and opposite to the dynamic forces of radial tension on said disk.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 117 words
A composite rotor construction comprising in combination: at least one disk, said disk fabricated from laminated layers with longitudinally extending fibers for reinforcing, said fibers bound together with resin; said laminated layers having sequentially repeating patterns of radial directions having different angular orientations with respect to a selected radii extending normal to the spin axis of said rotor, each said laminated layer being normal to the spin axis of said rotor; and, a radial fiber hoop cured to shrink under tension over the periphery of said disk whereby said disk is radially compressed with respect to the spin axis of said composite rotor construction equal and opposite to the dynamic forces of radial tension on said disk.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 15 words
The invention of claim 6 and wherein said composite rotor includes first and second disks.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 17 words
The invention of claim 7 and wherein said first and second disks include a spacer ring therebetween.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 19 words
The invention of claim 8 and wherein said laminated layers include tape having said fibers extending in one direction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 21 words
The invention of claim 6 and wherein said top disk and said bottom disk include registered holes for receiving a specimen.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 20 words
The invention of claim 6 and wherein said registered holes are aligned parallel to the spin axis of said rotor.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

CA473870A Cited
US1827648A Cited
US2974684A Cited
US3913828A Cited
US4468269A Cited
US3997106A Cited
US3993243A Cited
US4160521A Cited
US4695341A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1991-12-13 1992-06-13 1992-12-13 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1995-12-13 1996-06-13 1996-12-13 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1999-12-13 2000-06-13 2000-12-13 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag