Power plants – Motor operated by expansion and/or contraction of a unit of... – Mass is a solid
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-27
2001-06-05
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Motor operated by expansion and/or contraction of a unit of...
Mass is a solid
C060S527000, C415S134000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240727
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates in general to the formation of thermally responsive control means for releasable latches interconnecting sections of a casing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ring-like elements made of shape memory material such as Nitinol have been commercially used for retention of connector pins under ambient temperatures. Such Nitinol rings have also been experimentally used to release latch pins at elevated temperatures within tubular casings as disclosed for example in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/107,314 filed Jun. 30, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing such Nitinol rings so as to meet the installational and operational requirements of thermally responsive control of latching means used to maintain sections of casings interconnected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a wire made of Nitinol material having suitable properties is cut into required lengths corresponding to bent shapes such as the circumferential lengths of rings to be radially positioned between nested portions of a releasable latching arrangement interconnecting sections of a casing such as that of a rocket. The cut sections of the Nitinol wire are bent into their ring shapes after the opposite end portions thereof are annealed and flattened for overlapping thereof and then undergo welding to form joints. Welding of the ring joints is performed by use of an electrical resistance technique with either thin nickel foil sheets disposed between the overlapped wire end portions of the rings or plating/coating thereof with nickel to cause diffusion of melted nickel into the wire end portions at spot weld locations according to one embodiment. Cracking of the rings otherwise induced by the heat generated during the welding processes is thereby minimized and/or avoided.
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Goldstein David
Hall Peter
Forrest John
Nguyen Hoang
Shuster Jacob
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of
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