Method of forming apertures into thin metallic foils
US5352565A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 2, 1992 |
| Grant date | Oct 4, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB64D45/02
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A device for shielding composite material surfaces of aircraft from the destructive forces associated with lightning strikes and for protecting avionics from electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI), is provided, consisting of a thin metallic foil having uniformly spaced polygonal apertures formed therein. The polygonal apertures are so shaped as to provide at least one axis along which the shield material can expand or lengthen, permitting the shield material to better fit the irregular or compound curved surfaces found on aircraft. The foil shield can also be used to protect the filler material used between joints and to repair breaks and openings formed in the aircraft surface. When fashioned out of aluminum and applied to a composite material, such as graphite epoxy, the shield may be plated with nickel to prevent galvanic corrosion caused by the contact between dissimilar materials. When manufactured from copper the shield provides a solderable surface. A method for manufacturing such a shield is also provided where photolithographic techniques are used to mask, expose, and etch apertures into metallic sheets.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.