Failure resistant multiline tether
US6173922A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 22, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 16, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 22, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB64G1/648
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A tether (FIG. 6) having the special technical feature of multiple primary load-bearing lines (601,603) and normally slack secondary lines (605, 603). These primary and secondary lines are connected together with knotless, slipless interconnections so the tether maintains high strength and some of the lines can be cut without failure of the tether when it is operated near the ultimate failure load of the material from which it is constructed. This tether can safely carry (FIG. 31) load hundreds of times longer than prior art tethers in harsh environments where a single-line tether experiences a substantial risk of failure. The specific industrial applications of an electrodynamic tether system to deorbit satellites and a low Earth orbit to lunar surface tether transport system are all part of the general innovative concept of the invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.