Raytheon Company

Travis L Mayberry

James A Pruett

Michael J Arthur

Craig H McCordic

Gregory G Beninati

Michael L Andersen

James S Wilson

David H Altman

Joseph R Ellsworth

Joseph M Wahl

Gregory P Schaefer

Jeffrey A Shubrooks

Fred H Clairmont

John S Moore

Justin D Wenning

Earl E Seymour

Robert Arthur Condie

Cory Thomas

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 method for making a cold plate includes the steps of positioning a finstock structure in a cavity of a substrate; and applying a cover to the finstock structure and substrate, wherein the applying step comprises ultrasonically additive manufacturing the cover to the substrate and the finstock structure, whereby the cover joins with the substrate and the finstock structure. The resulting cold plate assembly includes a substrate having a cavity, a finstock structure within the cavity, and a cover closing the finstock structure within the cavity, the cover being integrally joined to the substrate and to the finstock structure.

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing of cold plates with pre-formed fins

A method of forming a cooling structure for a heat-dissipating surface includes arranging a heat spreader layer adjacent the heat-dissipating surface, bonding a coldplate directly to the heat spreader layer opposite the heat-dissipating surface, and forming an intermetallic bond between the heat spreader layer and the coldplate. The coldplate is bonded to the heat spreader layer using ultrasonic additive manufacturing.

Ultrasonic additively manufactured coldplates on heat spreaders

A manifold structure is formed using ultrasonic additive manufacturing and machining. The manifold structure includes a body having a base plate and a cover plate that define a flow passage therebetween, and a plurality of walls that segment the flow passage into a plurality of channels, wherein each of the walls has a height extending from the base plate to the cover plate and a non-linear length that is elongated relative to a width of the wall and extends in a direction normal to the height of the wall. The walls are wavy in shape to provide enhanced rigidity and stiffness during lamination over the channels.

Oscillating heat pipe using ultrasonic additive manufacturing

A manifold structure has at least one flow passage and a center manifold section that has at least one machined cavity. The manifold structure includes a plurality of ultrasonically additively manufactured (UAM) finstock layers arranged in the flow passage. After the finstock is formed by UAM, the finstock is permanently joined to the center manifold section via a brazing or welding process. Using UAM and a permanent joining process enables joining of the UAM finstock having enhanced thermal features to a vacuum brazement structure. UAM enables the finstock to be formed of dissimilar metal materials or multi-material laminate materials. UAM also enables bond joints of the finstock to be arranged at angles greater than ten degrees relative to a horizontal axis by using the same aluminum material in the UAM process and in the vacuum brazing process.

Integration of ultrasonic additive manufactured thermal structures in brazements

A manifold structure and method of forming a manifold structure includes using an ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) process to build up a solid structure, machining the solid structure to form a cavity and free-standing support pillars within the cavity, and using a UAM process to build up a finstock layer over the cavity. The support pillars formed by machining have yield strengths high enough to support UAM of the finstock layer over the cavity. A plurality of finstock layers are built up within the cavity to segment the cavity into a plurality of cavities. UAM of the finstock layers enables the finstock layers to be stacked in a direction normal to a direction of flow through the cavity for efficiently transferring heat through the manifold structure.

Internal cavity support methodology for ultrasonic additive manufacturing

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.

Additively manufactured structures for gradient thermal conductivity

A manifold structure and method of forming a structure having at least one enclosed cavity includes using an ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) process to build up a solid component, forming a cavity in the solid component, filling the cavity with a sacrificial material, using a UAM process to build up a finstock layer over the cavity filled with the powder material to enclose the cavity and form the enclosed cavity, and removing the sacrificial material from the enclosed cavity after the finstock layer is ultrasonically welded to the solid component. The sacrificial material has an adequate density to support the UAM process of forming the finstock layer over the cavity and the material may be removed from the enclosed cavity, resulting in an enclosed cavity having smooth surfaces with an optimal fluid flow area therethrough.

Powdered metal as a sacrificial material for ultrasonic additive manufacturing

A method for forming a cooling structure having a plurality of cooling members. The method includes: providing a template having a plurality of features, such members projecting outward from a base of a template or holes passing into the template, the features being arranged in a predetermined pattern, such pattern being selected in accordance with the predetermined pattern of cooling members; and forming a conformal coating of diamond over the features.

Cooling structure for integrated circuits and methods for forming such structure

A machine is provided and includes a machine body formed to define a single enclosed space, an ultrasonic consolidation (UC) processing element operably disposed in the single enclosed space for executing UC processing of a part within the single enclosed space and an electronics printing element operably disposed in the single enclosed space for executing electronics printing of the part within the single enclosed space.

Ultrasonic consolidation with integrated printed electronics

A method of forming a component having multiple material properties includes forming, by additive manufacturing, a particle containment structure on a base layer; filling the particle containment structure with a first layer of particles, the layer of particles being contained by the particle containment structure; curing the first layer of particles; repeating the forming the particle containment structure, filling the particle containment structure with one or more additional layers of particles and curing the one or more additional layers of particles until a desired component dimension is achieved; forming, by additive manufacturing, a cover to encapsulate any exposed particles; and fully curing the particle containment structure, particles and cover.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Travis L Mayberry