USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

California Institute of Technology

Department of the Navy

Robert Dale Conner

Aaron Wiest

William L Johnson

Craig Andrew Macdougall

Marios D Demetriou

Craig MacDougall

LeRoy A Dunning

Rebecca Stevens

Sam Pratt

Daewoong Suh

Boonrat Lohwongwatana

Jin-Yoo Suh

Richard B Dandliker

Michael A Tenhover

Apparatus and methods for forming and printing hollow bodies from amorphous materials to form three-dimensional objects are provided. Apparatus provide a hollow body forming and printing machine, and methods for determining a desired amount of impact deformation for the hollow spheres, including calculating specific characteristics of the hollow spheres and the amorphous material, deriving a target viscosity range, adjusting the apparatus to satisfy the target viscosity range, and using the apparatus to form a plurality of hollow spheres with controlled deformation.

Methods and apparatus for manufacturing and printing hollow spheres

A minimally invasive method for attaching to a surface is provided. The method utilizes an attachment apparatus for non-penetrating mechanical attachment of components to a target surface. The apparatus includes a cartridge assembly and mounting assembly. Actuation of the cartridge assembly causes first and second exothermic reactants located between outer casing and the inner casing to come into contact and cause an exothermic reaction. This reaction liquefies a bonding material between the cartridge assembly and mounting assembly, allowing it to flow around the mounting assembly and onto a target surface creating a seal. Vacuum pressure will bind the mounting assembly to a target surface.

Non-invasive method of affixing surface components to maritime equipment

A minimally invasive surface attachment apparatus for non-penetrating mechanical attachment of components to a target surface includes a cartridge assembly and mounting assembly. Actuation of the cartridge assembly causes first and second exothermic reactants located between outer casing and the inner casing to come into contact and cause an exothermic reaction. This reaction liquefies a bonding material between the cartridge assembly and mounting assembly, allowing it to flow around the mounting assembly and onto a target surface creating a seal. Vacuum pressure will bind the mounting assembly to a target surface.

Minimally invasive surface attachment apparatus

Novel cellular solids and foams from amorphous materials with a glass transition temperature (T) and methods of forming such materials are provided. In particular, foams are formed by expanding or compressing hollow spheres made of a high strength amorphous material, which is defined as a material having high strength characteristics, but also possessing a glass transition within a confined space. Using such a method, it has been unexpectedly found that it is possible to make cellular structures, including both open and closed cell foams, with customizable properties from materials that have been inaccessible with conventional methods. Moreover, based on calculations high specific strengths and stiffnesses are expected.

Foams made of amorphous hollow spheres and methods of manufacture thereof

A tool defines a piston/cylinder with first and second chambers on either side of the piston. A sealable port couples the first chamber to ambient environment. One end of the tool (i) defines a volume that is open to ambient environment, and (ii) has a cartridge coupled thereto such that the volume remains open to ambient environment. The cartridge defines (i) a chamber filled with a meltable material, and (ii) a channel coupling the material-filled chamber to ambient environment. A melting device in thermal communication with the meltable material simultaneously heats an air/water mixture in the second chamber and melts the meltable material. An element releasably coupled to the tool spans a region within the cartridge that lies within the channel. The element incorporates a check valve separating the volume defined by the tool and ambient environment.

Tool for fastening an attachment element to a surface

Multi-layered cellular metallic glass structures and methods of preparing the same are provided. In one embodiment, the cellular metallic glass structure includes at least one patterned metallic glass sheet and at least one additional sheet. The at least one patterned metallic glass sheet may include multiple sheets connected together to form a group of sheets, and the structure may include a group of sheets sandwiched between two outer sheets. The patterned metallic glass sheets may be patterned by thermoplastically forming two- and/or three-dimensional patterns in the metallic glass sheets. The metallic glass cellular structures are useful in a wide variety of applications, including but not limited to blast protection applications, energy absorption applications, structural support applications, biomedical implant applications, heat exchanger applications, thermal management applications, electrical shielding applications, magnetic shielding applications, and debris and radiation shielding for aerospace and outer space applications.

Multilayered cellular metallic glass structures and methods of preparing the same

Methods and compositions for a novel metal-to-metal or material-to-material joining technique using bulk metallic glasses are provided. The method of the current invention relies on the superior mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses and/or softening behavior of metallic glasses in the undercooled liquid region of temperature-time process space, enabling joining of a variety of materials at a much lower temperature than typical ranges used for soldering, brazing or welding.

Process for joining materials using bulk metallic glasses

A composite penetrator has a plurality of dispersed high aspect ratio bodies of refractory heavy metal such as tungsten wires. A matrix of metal surrounds and wets the dispersed bodies for forming an integral penetrator. The matrix metal is characterized by having localized shear band deformation when strained. The heavy metal is selected from the group consisting of tungsten, tantalum, hafnium, uranium and alloys thereof. A variety of matrix alloys may be used which will remain amorphous or microcrystalline in an object as large as the penetrator when cooled from the molten state. An exemplary amorphous alloy comprises 41.25 atomic percent zirconium, 41.25% titanium, 13.75% copper, 12.5% nickel and 22.5% beryllium.

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Oak Hills, CA, United States of America

Robert Dale Conner