Raytheon Company

Michael J Arthur

Travis L Mayberry

James A Pruett

Gregory G Beninati

Matthew Kelly

Nicholas I Maniscalco

Katherine P Carpenter

A method of forming a thermal energy storage unit for a surface to be cooled or heated includes using an additive manufacturing process to form a plurality of non-rectilinear structures having a plurality of thermally conductive substructures, the substructures defining a plurality of interior cavities within the substructures and a plurality of exterior fluid channels that cross over or under the plurality of interior cavities, arranging the plurality of non-rectilinear structures in a plurality of housings, wherein each of the plurality of non-rectilinear structures is arranged in a corresponding one of the plurality of housings, and connecting the plurality of housings to each other to build up the thermal energy storage unit whereby the thermal energy storage unit is modular.

Additively manufactured thermal energy storage units

A method of manufacture is provided that includes providing a preform component. The preform component includes a blind aperture in an exterior of the preform component. The exterior of the preform component is machined to provide a machined component. An exterior of the machined component is inspected to determine a characteristic of the machined component, which characteristic of the machined component is associated with the blind aperture. Whether a feature of the machined component satisfies a standard is determined based on the characteristic of the machined component.

Component manufacture and external inspection

A manifold structure is provided to cool a heat-dissipating surface and includes an inlet fluid passage, an outlet fluid passage, and at least one cooling channel that is connected between the inlet fluid passage and the outlet fluid passage and extends along a length of the heat-dissipating surface. Additively manufactured fins are arranged in the cooling channel. The fins are configured to provide a geometry transition area between fins having a first geometry and fins having a second geometry, and a material transition area between fins formed of a first material and fins formed of a second material. The manifold structure is configured to provide a gradient convection coefficient by way of the geometry transition area and a gradient thermal conductivity by way of the material transition area across the length of the heat-dissipating surface.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Michael J Arthur