Domed structures and a method of making them by superplastic forming and diffusion bonding
US5143276A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 19, 1991 |
| Grant date | Sep 1, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 19, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T428/1234
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The present invention provides a method of making a domed structure using superplastic forming and diffusion bonding techniques. The dome is of a deep and/or irregular shape that cannot be achieved by creep forming. The method includes the step of forming a stack of two or more sheets made of superplastic material and the sheets of the stack being joined together in face to face contact by metallic bonds such that no sheet in the stack is bonded to more than one of its neighbouring sheets; the metallic bonds preferably lie on lines extending radially from and/or circumferentially around the said peak. The resulting stack is heated to superplastic termperatures and a pressure differential is established across the stack to form it into a domed shape. The resulting dome is placed in a mould and heated; an inert gas is injected between the sheets to inflate the stack superplastically thereby forming a space between the sheets which is divided into cells by webs formed from two of the said sheets that have been superplastically formed by the inflation process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.