Abstract: A lightweight periodic cellular structure has a stacked array of hollow or solid structural elements that are bonded at their contact points in order to form a stacked lattice structure. Further arrays may be stacked onto the stacked lattice structure in order to form a periodic cellular structure of varying thickness and depth. Also, structural panels may be added to parallel exterior edges of the stacked lattice structure to form a structural panel. Further, the hollow structural elements are provided with wicking elements along their interior walls to facilitate heat transfer through the periodic cellular structure. Liquid may also be introduced into the hollow structural elements to further facilitate heat transfer through the periodic cellular structure. Also, the cellular structure may be utilized as light weight current collectors, such as electrodes, anodes, and cathodes.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a multifunctional battery for supplying power to an electrical circuit, and the related method of making the same. Use of the multifunctional battery permits structural integrity and versatility, wile maximizing power output of the cells and minimizing the overall weight of the structure. The multifunctional battery includes an open cell interconnected structure comprised of a plurality of open cells so as to provide a structural electrode. The structural electrode is configured to be a load bearing member. The battery also includes interstitial electrodes that are counter electrodes to the structural electrode. The interstitial electrodes are at least partially received within a predetermined number of the cells of the interconnected structure. Additionally, a separator portion is disposed between the structural electrode and interstitial electrodes to serve as an electrical insulator.

Abstract: An embodiment provides a method of constructing a cellular structure having nodes therein comprising: providing at least one truss layer comprised of at least one truss unit, at least one of the truss units being comprised of truss members; providing at least one panel in mechanical communication with the at least one truss unit of the at least one truss layer, the mechanical communication defines contact regions wherein the at least one truss unit is coupled to the at least one panel; the nodes being defined as intersections existing among any of the truss members and the nodes also being defined by the contact regions; providing at least one node pin, the at least one node pin spanning between two desired the nodes; and diffusion bonding at least one of the truss layer to the at least one panel.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing multilayered truss cores, which solves, among other things, key issues of bonding monolayered truss cores to one another. A multilayered truss core may be created from a single planar perform of an appropriate geometric pattern. Once the desired preform is manufactured it is then deformed into a three-dimensional (3D) truss network. This approach bypasses the need to stack and join monolayer truss cores, eliminating the additional tooling, lay-up, and interlayer bonding process steps. These multilayered cores may then be attached to facesheets or the like to form multilayered truss core panels or other multifunctional structures.

Abstract: Method and Apparatus for efficiently applying a bond coat and related coating systems to a surface that can survive the thermal gradient that is encountered in very high temperature, high heat flux environments such as a rocket engine. An apparatus for efficiently applying coating systems using a vapor or cluster deposition technique such as a directed vapor deposition (DVD) approach, and more particularly providing a thermal barrier coating (TBC) system applications with very high temperature utility in cither oxidizing or non-oxidizing conditions.

Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. The method and system provides for alloy strengthening in high temperature metallic alloys that can be melt or solid state processed to materials that one applies by vapor deposition. The creep strengthened coating contains nanoscopic particles of oxides, nitrides, borides, carbides, and other materials which are formed by reactive codeposition. An approach for reactive codeposition is plasma assisted directed vapor deposition. Accordingly, the resultant structure may be utilized for, but not limited thereto, high temperature coatings, e.g. for protecting rocket or power turbines, or diesel engine components. The resultant structure is has a greatly extended lifetime attributed in part to the elimination of coating spallation by the “rumpling” mechanism.

Abstract: Method and Apparatus for efficiently applying coating systems to a surface that can survive the thermal gradient that is encountered in high temperature, high heat flux environments such as a rocket engine or like using vapor or cluster deposition process such as a directed vapor deposition (DVD) approach. Method and Apparatus provides electron or other energetic beam technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate while providing a highly strain tolerant thermal barrier coating that has an improved porosity morphology between columnar grains.

Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) apparatus and method is taught, that provides a carrier gas flow entraining vapor atoms for the coating of regions on a substrate that are not in line-of-sight. The degree of non line-of-sight (NLOS) coating, hence thickness uniformity around the substrate is a sensitive function of the flow conditions. For a fixed background pressure in the region of deposition, an increase in the uniformity of the coating thickness is accomplished as the flow velocity is reduced. This improvement in uniformity is a result of an increase in the fraction of vapor atoms which deposit in NLOS positions on the substrate such as backside (21) of fiber (65) as indicated by vapor streamlines (51). Vapor impact width (VIW) is the width of the vapor flux impacting on some area of the fiber. Front side coating (FSC) width is the vapor width of atoms impacting on the substrate frontside (22).

Abstract: Provided is the utilization of face panels (20) containing core materials (16) topologically structured at small scale, relative to a system (e.g. ship hull) that utilize them. They are optimized Lo absorb or reflect the energy subject to their while also possessing the ability to efficiently support high structural loads. It is entirely compatible with double-hull ship design concepts, because the volume between the hulls is used to locate the energy absorbing material substructures. The approach can be generalized to provide protection from impacts of low, intermediate or high intensity. The technology to design such structures requires materials selection and cell topology designs coupled with and techniques for the affordable manufacturing of structures that must he able to sustain severe dynamic deformations. It requires a coupling of effects occurring and phenomena that occur at the materials and structural levels.

Abstract: A lightweight periodic cellular structure has a stacked array of hollow or solid structural elements that are bonded at their contact points in order to form a stacked lattice structure. Further arrays may be stacked onto the stacked lattice structure in order to form a periodic cellular structure of varying thickness and depth. Also, structural panels may be added to parallel exterior edges of the stacked lattice structure to form a structural panel. Further, the hollow structural elements are provided with wicking elements along their interior walls to facilitate heat transfer through the periodic cellular structure. Liquid may also be introduced into the hollow structural elements to further facilitate heat transfer through the periodic cellular structure. Also, the cellular structure may be utilized as light weight current collectors, such as electrodes, anodes, and cathodes.

Abstract: Multifunctional cellular metals (or other materials) for structural applications that are capable of recovering their original (undeformed) shape and thickness after impact or crushing (i.e., self-healing). Alternatively, they may normally be stored or used in their compressed (i.e., crushed) state and deployed when needed to act as energy absorbing structure or packaging (i.e., deployable energy absorber). Additionally, the multifunctional structures may act as an actuator, capable of providing localized or distributed force and displacement, and related methods of using and manufacturing the same. These active cellular metals (or other materials) are composites consisting of conventional metal/alloy truss structures (or other material structures) in combination with shape memory metal/alloy components (or other material components) and offer high specific strength and stiffness, but which are also deployable energy absorbers or self-healing smart structures.

Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. To overcome the limitations incurred by conventional methods, the DVD system uses an electron beam directed vapor deposition (DVD) technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate. The present DVD system uses the combination of an electron beam and a combined inert gas/reactive gas carrier jet of controlled composition to create engineering films. In this system, the vaporized material can be entrained in the carrier gas jet and deposited onto the substrate at a high rate and with high materials utilization efficiency. The velocity and flux of the gas atoms entering the chamber, the nozzle parameters, and the operating chamber pressure can all be significantly varied, facilitating wide processing condition variation and allowing for improved control over the properties of the deposited layer.