Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Pneumatically supported towers for low gravity applications
-
Application No.: US17574462Application Date: 2022-01-12
-
Publication No.: US11702857B2Publication Date: 2023-07-18
- Inventor: Joel C. Sercel , James G. Small , Philip J. Wahl , Craig E. Peterson
- Applicant: Trans Astronautica Corporation
- Applicant Address: US CA Lake View Terrace
- Assignee: Trans Astronautica Corporation
- Current Assignee: Trans Astronautica Corporation
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Lake View Terrace
- Agency: Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP
- Main IPC: B64G1/22
- IPC: B64G1/22 ; E04H12/00 ; E04B1/343

Abstract:
Pneumatically supported towers for low gravity applications are disclosed herein. In one aspect, an inflatable tower for use in vacuum environments can have a membrane configured to support a load when inflated with an inflation gas to a pressures less than 100,000 pascals and greater than 0.01 pascal. The inflation gas can be chosen to have a sufficiently low boiling temperature at the inflation pressure of the membrane that the gas will not condense to a liquid or solid within a defined range of temperatures in which the tower is designed to operate. The membrane can be configured to be packaged for transport in deflated condition and rolled onto cylinders from which the membrane can be later unfurled and inflated as part of the tower inflation process. The membrane can be further configured to progressively inflate beginning at a bottom or lowest level of the membrane during the tower inflation process. The membrane can be divided into a plurality of compartments by one or more diaphragms containing valves configured to regulate flow of the inflation gas between the compartments.
Public/Granted literature
- US20220274721A1 PNEUMATICALLY SUPPORTED TOWERS FOR LOW GRAVITY APPLICATIONS Public/Granted day:2022-09-01
Information query