Patents Assigned to Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
  • Patent number: 5980105
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for optically measuring the temperatures of cryogenic fluids or of moving surfaces in such fluids by analyzing the decay in the luminescence of a doped crystal, the device comprising a light source for exciting said crystal, an optical fiber for transporting the light flux emitted by said source to the crystal and for returning to a detection assembly the luminescent light emitted by the crystal as a result, and a measurement probe past which the fluid or the moving surface moves, wherein the doped crystal is constituted by one of the crystals from the group comprising strontium fluoride doped with divalent ytterbium, SrF.sub.2 :Yb.sup.2+ ; and calcium fluoride doped with divalent ytterbium, CaF.sub.2 :Yb.sup.2+.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jacky Y. Rouhet, Gilbert M. Tribillon, Stephane F. Bertrand, Georges Boulon
  • Patent number: 5941062
    Abstract: A liquid propellant rocket engine comprising a chamber body connected to a converging/diverging thrust nozzle and to at least one lightly pressurized propellant feed duct, said body including a body bore in which an injector-forming piston can move longitudinally between a rest first position and an operating second position, the piston comprising a piston head and a piston rod, and subdividing the chamber body bore into a combustion chamber in front of the piston, and at least one injection chamber surrounding the piston rod, the chamber body further including a flow section that is closed in said rest position to prevent any propellant being fed from the injection chamber(s) and that is opened when the piston moves from said rest position to said operating position in order to allow the injection chamber(s) to be filled via said flow section directly from the feed duct(s), the propellant(s) being injected into the combustion chamber via injection channels formed between the combustion chamber and the inject
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Christophe Koppel, Laurent Maine
  • Patent number: 5935378
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite material in the form of an annular tube by winding on a mandrel both a reinforcing fiber fabric and a sheet of matrix material, comprising the following steps: 1) preheating the mandrel to a predetermined temperature; 2) fixing the reinforcing fiber fabric and the sheet of matrix material to the mandrel; 3) causing the mandrel to rotate at a nominal speed to wind the fabric and the sheet simultaneously, the fabric and the sheet being subjected to a nominal tension; 4) actuating heating means for heating the material and cooling means for cooling the mandrel; 5) when the tube reaches the desired diameter, stopping both the heating means and the rotation of the mandrel; 6) after a determined duration that is sufficient for bringing the temperature of the mandrel to the predetermined preheating temperature, stopping the cooling means; and 7) dismounting the mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Peter Wolki, Emmanuel Edeline, Jean-Francois Cretegny
  • Patent number: 5903976
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an enclosure containing hot gases cooled by transpiration. The enclosure comprises a porous wall and means for applying a cooling fluid to the outside face of the porous wall to cause a flow of cooling fluid to pass through the porous wall by transpiration. The cooling fluid application means is formed by disposing a plurality of cooling liquid distribution pipes regularly around the porous wall and terminating tangentially on its outside face in a plurality of superposed horizontal injection levels. Feed channels are provided crossing substantially perpendicularly through the distribution pipes, formed between each of them, and connected to cooling liquid feed means. Calibration ducts of determined section are provided, connecting, at each of the injection levels, the vertical feed channels to the horizontal distribution pipes surrounding them, to deliver predetermined headloss to the inside face of the porous wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Andre Beaurain, Etienne Tiret
  • Patent number: 5904957
    Abstract: A chemical vapor infiltration method for densifying porous substrates disposed in annular stacks. The substrates to be densified (12) are loaded inside a reaction chamber (11) of an infiltration oven, being disposed in at least one annular stack (30) defining an interior passage (31) with spaces (33) being formed between the substrates. The gas admitted into the reaction chamber is channelled on leaving a preheating zone (18) towards one of the two volumes constituted by the inside and the outside of the, or each, stack of substrates, and preferably towards the smaller volume. This volume (31) is closed at its opposite end so that the gas flows from admission into the chamber to its exhaust from the chamber from the inside to the outside of the, or each, stack, or vice versa, with the gas passing through the spaces between the substrates and diffusing into them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Fran.cedilla.ois Christin, Pierre Daubigny, Pierre Delaurens, Jean-Luc Leluan
  • Patent number: 5899388
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an injector of tricoaxial structure comprising a body that is circularly symmetrical about an axis of symmetry, said body being provided with a plurality of injection elements having axes parallel to said axis of symmetry and passing through an injection wall fixed to said body and separating said injector from a combustion member to which it is coupled. According to the invention, each of said injection elements comprises a central injection channel fed with a second propellant and an annular injection slot surrounding said central channel and fed with a first propellant, an additional annular injection channel for the second propellant being formed by a space that exists around each injection element between its side wall and said injection wall, such that the sheet of first propellant flowing from said annular slot is engaged between the central jet and the outer sheet, each of which delivers the second propellant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Martin Sion, Pierre Desclos, Dominique Raymond
  • Patent number: 5894723
    Abstract: The diverging part of the nozzle comprises an outer diverging part and at least one inner diverging part of outlet section that is smaller than that of the outer diverging part and designed to be separated therefrom and released at a predetermined instant in the operation of the combustion chamber corresponding to a predetermined altitude of the rocket engine. The inner diverging part comprises at least a first insert constituted by a cellular filling material associated with a stiffening structure and with a refractory material defining the inner wall of the first insert which is subjected to the hot gas produced in the combustion chamber associated with the nozzle, such that the mean specific gravity of the first insert lies in the range about 0.2 to about 0.4. Pressure-limiting means are interposed between the first insert and the outer diverging part and the first insert is fixed to the outer diverging part by rigid fixing means associated with selective cutting-off means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventor: Joseph Gastal
  • Patent number: 5853821
    Abstract: Prior to applying an impregnation composition constituted by a solution of at least one phosphate, a part made of composite material is treated in depth by means of an aqueous solution that penetrates into the open internal pores of the composite material, and is then dried. The aqueous solution contains an additive which, after drying, imparts to the composite material, increased wettability by the impregnation composition. The additive contained in the aqueous solution is preferably constituted by at least one wetting agent that is soluble in water and non-ionic, such as an oxyethylenated fatty acid, an oxyethylenated fatty alcohol, an oxyethylenated alkyl-phenol or an ester of a high polyol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Aline Balhadere, Jacques Thebault, Bruno Bernard
  • Patent number: 5845398
    Abstract: The turbine comprises a plurality of blades disposed around a hub between two end plates, with the blades, the hub, and the end plates being made of thermostructural composite material. The hub is made by stacking plane annular plates of thermostructural composite material along a common axis. Each blade is made individually by shaping a two-dimensional fiber fabric in plate or sheet form to obtain a blade preform, by densifying the preform with a matrix to obtain a blade blank made of thermostructural composite material, and by machining an outline for the densified preform. Each end plate is obtained by making an annular preform by means of a two-dimensional fiber fabric in plate or sheet form, and by densifying the preform with a matrix to obtain a part made of thermostructural composite material. The blades are assembled to the hub between the end plates, with each blade being connected to the hub by a portion forming a blade root.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Maumus, Guy Martin
  • Patent number: 5840227
    Abstract: Internal thermal protection for a thruster structure, e.g. an end wall and extender structure of a tactical thruster, is made by preparing a low viscosity elastomer base suitable for being mixed with fibers by means of a mechanical mixer without putting the base into solution, by mixing the elastomer base and the fibers so as to obtain a solid composition in finely divided form suitable for being stored, and by molding the composition in situ in order to obtain the thermal protection directly on the structure to be protected. The viscosity of the elastomer base is less than 1500 Pa.s at 50.degree. C., and it vulcanizes at a temperature greater than 120.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jacques Bourdoncle, Loic Le Magourou
  • Patent number: 5833402
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a copying cutter provided with a cylindrical or conical body having a spherical end, constituting the active portion of the cutter, said end including a plurality of flutes inclined at a determined angle .theta. relative to the longitudinal axis of the cutter and formed along circular arcs at a determined distance x from the midplane P of the cutter, an inside face and an outside face of each of the flutes constituting, after machining, respectively a cutting face and clearance faces of each tooth of the cutter.The clearance faces comprise a first clearance face and an additional clearance face presenting at least a first facet. The cutting face has a cutting angle .gamma. given by the following equation: ##EQU1## where R is the radius of the cutter. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing the cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventor: Philippe Roger Martin
  • Patent number: 5797260
    Abstract: A liquid propellant rocket engine comprising a chamber body connected to a converging/diverging thrust nozzle and to at least one lightly pressurized propellant feed duct, said body including a body bore in which an injector-forming piston can move longitudinally between a rest first position and an operating second position, the piston comprising a piston head and a piston rod, and subdividing the chamber body bore into a combustion chamber in front of the piston, and at least one injection chamber surrounding the piston rod, the chamber body further including a flow section that is closed in said rest position to prevent any propellant being fed from the injection chamber(s) and that is opened when the piston moves from said rest position to said operating position in order to allow the injection chamber(s) to be filled via said flow section directly from the feed duct(s), the propellant(s) being injected into the combustion chamber via injection channels formed between the combustion chamber and the inject
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Christophe Koppel, Laurent Maine
  • Patent number: 5778033
    Abstract: A sealed passage is formed in a part of refractory composite material by inserting a tubular metal lining in a hole in the part, brazing material being interposed between the lining and the hole, and by heating to braze the metal lining to the wall of the hole, so that the metal lining defines a sealed passage (38). The metal lining (39) is plastically deformable under the conditions of use of the part such that differential expansion of thermal origin between the refractory composite material and the metal lining can be compensated by plastic deformation of the lining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Ludovic Filipuzzi, Philippe Huet
  • Patent number: 5772777
    Abstract: A method for processing composite materials (matrix+reinforcing fibers) to enable recycling thereof. The method is useful for chemically upgrading materials and comprises exposing the materials to ozone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Andre Vallet, Michel Delmas, Thierry Fargere, Gilles Sacher
  • Patent number: 5765367
    Abstract: The control system comprises a plurality of nozzles pointing in different directions, a plurality of gas generators, and pipework connecting the gas generators to the nozzles via gates for allowing or preventing gas being ejected therethrough. Each gas generator is fitted with a shutter disposed in an outlet passage connecting the generator to the pipework, the shutter having a closed position in which it closes the outlet passage by bearing against a seat formed in the passage and against which it is pressed when the generator is not ignited so as to isolate the gas generator in sealed manner from gas contained in the pipework and coming from other generators, the shutter being automatically lifted off its seat to move from the closed position to an open position under the effect of the pressure produced in the generator in response to being ignited, thereby enabling control to be performed with gas generators being ignited independently of one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jean Denis Denoel, Andre Dumortier
  • Patent number: 5738908
    Abstract: A reaction gas containing methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) and hydrogen is injected into the infiltration chamber (30) in which the substrate is placed and where predetermined infiltration temperature and pressure conditions obtain. The gas entering the infiltration chamber is preheated (by plates 46) so as to bring it up to temperature before coming into contact with the substrate. The residual gas containing the remainder of the reaction gas together with gaseous reaction products is extracted from the chamber. Infiltration is performed at a temperature lying in the range 960.degree. C. to 1050.degree. C., and preferably in the range 1000.degree. C. to 1030.degree. C., under a total pressure of not more than 25 kPa, and preferably equal to 7 kPa to 12 kPa, and the concentration of silicon-containing species in the residual gas is lowered at the outlet from the infiltration chamber, e.g. by injecting an inert gas (via 70).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jacques Rey, Jean-Luc Charvet, Christian Robin-Brosse, Bernard Delperier, Jacky Minet
  • Patent number: 5725955
    Abstract: The method comprises forming at least one external coating on the surface of the product to be protected, the coating being constituted by a composition mainly containing a mixture of phosphates, of silica, and of alumina belonging to a P.sub.2 O.sub.5 --SiO.sub.2 --Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 system, and, after drying, implementing heat treatment at a temperature that is sufficient at least to transform the external coating into an insoluble cement capable of forming a self-sealing glass. The external coating is formed of a liquid suspension that is applied by spray-painting or by means of a brush, the suspension containing said mixture of phosphates, of silica, and of alumina. Prior to forming the external coating, the product may be impregnated to the core within the residual open pores of the composite material, using a liquid solution of phosphates, of sodium, and of potassium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Henri Tawil, Xavier Bernard, jean-Claude Cavalier
  • Patent number: 5714244
    Abstract: A material is impregnated with an aqueous solution containing precursors of a glass-containing phosphate base modified at least by the presence of zinc oxide, then dried and heat treated to form an internal oxidation protection constituted by the modified phosphate glass-containing base. The precursors are introduced into the aqueous solution so as to form a glass-containing base in which the molar ratio between the glass modifying oxides, comprising zinc oxide, and the glass forming oxides, principally comprising or consisting of phosphoric anhydride, is sufficiently high, in particular at least 0.6, preferably 0.9, to confer a resistance to corrosion by moisture on the glass-containing phosphate base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Rodolphe Delaval, Gerard Palavit, Jacques Rey, Michel Laxague, Jacques Thebault
  • Patent number: 5697212
    Abstract: A device for pressurizing at least one propellant tank feeding the combustion members of a space vehicle, the tank(s) being connected to one or more pipes for feeding said combustion members, and at least one of the propellants being catalytically or thermally decomposable, the device comprising: tapping means placed at the outlet from the decomposable propellant tank to tap a portion of said propellant, drive gas generation means for delivering drive gases, suction means formed by a converging-diverging nozzle connected firstly to the drive gas generation means and secondly to the tapping means to suck decomposable propellant from the tapping means by lowering the pressure of the drive gases to a value that is less than that required for pressurizing the tank(s), and decomposition means placed at the outlet from the suction means for decomposing the sucked propellant into pressurization gas for pressurizing the tank(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventor: Christophe Koppel
  • Patent number: 5686144
    Abstract: Each friction face of a brake disk (10) is masked (plates 40, 46) to isolate and seal the exterior from liquids, and the disk is immersed in a bath (30) of impregnating composition containing at least one substance which can form a protective layer against oxidation. Impregnation is effected by establishing a pressure difference between the pressure at the exterior of the exposed surfaces of the immersed brake disk (10) and the pressure inside the internal open pore space of the brake disk, without completely evacuating the latter, to force the impregnating composition to penetrate into the internal open pore space of the disk to a certain depth from the exposed surfaces, to form an internal oxidation protection. The pressure difference is adjusted depending on the desired depth of penetration of the impregnating composition into the internal open pore space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne de Propulsion
    Inventors: Jacques Thebault, Michel Laxague, Jacques Rey, Rodolphe Delaval, Gerard Palavit