Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Chesley Lane

Vernon M Benson

Steven J Floyd

Talbot P Thrasher

Timothy R Stone

A tube element including a first set of spaced apart tape strips helically wound in one direction, and a second set of spaced apart tape strips helically wound in an opposite direction as the first set of tape strips so that the tape strips in the first set periodically cross the tape strips in the second set, where the first and second sets of tape strips define a tube. A set of spaced apart straight tape strips are provided along the length of the tube. An end fitting is secured to an end of the first and second sets of tape strips at one end of the tube, and another end fitting is secured to an end of the first and second sets of tape strips at an opposite end of the tube, where the fittings are configured to be coupled to an end fitting of another tube element.

Tubular support element

A machine for manufacturing tube elements comprised of tape strips. The machine includes a shaft, a disk mounted to one end of the shaft, a motor coupled to an opposite end of the shaft, and a plate mounted to the shaft. The plate includes a plurality of spools mounted to the plate, where a separate one of the strips is wound on each spool. In one embodiment, the machine further includes a rail positioned adjacent to the disk, a slide slidably secured to the rail and including an end support configured to hold ends of the tape strips, and an indexer configured to pull the slide on the rail away from the disk. The tape strips are unwound from the spools when the indexer pulls the slide in a manner so that the tape strips ride in a spaced apart manner around the disk to form the tube element.

Growing community of inventors

Hawthorne, CA, United States of America

Chesley Lane