EP0842000A1

EP0842000A1 - Grid block material

Info

Publication number: EP0842000A1
Application number: EP96913524A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jonathan Priluck
Original assignee: Jonathan Aerospace Materials Europe AB; Jonathan Aerospace Materials Corp
Current assignee: Jonathan Aerospace Materials Europe AB; Jonathan Aerospace Materials Corp
Priority date: 1995-07-30
Filing date: 1996-04-25
Publication date: 1998-05-20
Also published as: MX9800799A; PL324801A1; SK12298A3; NO980397D0; CN1192173A; CZ23498A3; WO1997004897A1; NO980397L; AU5647796A; JPH11514928A; BR9610090A; DE19542510A1; IL118177A0; HUP9802346A3; DE19527618A1; HUP9802346A2; KR19990035888A

Abstract

The description relates to a structural material having the configuration or form of a wire grid. The structural material can be made by first winding a continuous wire on a loom structure. Once the wire has been wound into an array of parallel wires, it is secured in place and separated into segments. The segments are then arranged in a frame. The frame arranges the segments at relative angles so that they form a matrix or network or sieve. In the final production step, the wires are welded together, e.g. in a forging press. Alternatively, the material may also be produced by first securing wire segments in a pair of frames and then welding them together. The structural material of the invention can be used alone or in layers to form a multi-layer material.

Description

Lattice block material

Background of the Invention

The present invention is based on a U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 033,111, filed March 18, 1993, and a continuation-in-part application filed thereon.

The invention relates to building materials or structural components and a method for their production. More specifically, the invention relates to a structured material or building material, which has a multi-dimensional lattice structure, and a method for its production.

Description of the prior art

In the field of materials science, the search for lighter and stronger materials has been a major goal for many years. Research in this area is currently in progress focused primarily on the use of metals, plastics and ceramics. This research has led to improvements in existing technologies. In addition, it has created new materials and processes to meet the changing engineering and economic needs of modern society.

A somewhat recent activity in the field of materials science, insofar as it relates to better properties in terms of strength to weight, has focused primarily on hydrocarbon-based polymers and the corresponding chemical processes. Even though the materials and processes developed from this research are both useful and useful under the chosen conditions, they typically do not address the problem of improving higher order structures. Furthermore, the repetition or reproduction of the metallic, mechanical properties using chemical formulation techniques based on carbon remains the goal of many of these materials and processes. As a result, many of these materials have only a nominal improvement over the more readily available metallic building materials or structural elements.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-strength construction material with a low weight.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a building material or structural material with a low weight, which is designed as a multidimensional grid.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a high-strength, lightweight construction material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a high-strength, low-weight building material, which is designed as a multi-dimensional grid.

The building material according to the present invention is characterized by a wire mesh. The wire mesh is typically designed in the form of evenly stacked pyramids in a three-dimensional arrangement. Each pyramid consists of eight wire segments, which are connected to each other at their intersection points. The wire segments are S

Part of a continuous wire. Even if the design of the material is such that it looks solid or solid to the naked eye, it actually consists of a three-dimensional network of fine wires. These wires are typically made of brass or stainless steel. Preferably, the material is composed of structural parts that are about 0.005 inches to 0.1 inches [0.1 mm - 2.5 mm] in diameter and 0.03 inches - 0.09 inches long. However, the material according to the invention is not limited to the materials and wire diameters mentioned above. In particular, the term “wire” in the sense of the present invention should not only refer to metal wires, but also to encompass all types of elongated filaments, regardless of the material from which they are made, with only the specific application purpose of the material selection setting limits. Even for mechanically weaker materials than the metallic wires mentioned above, however, the structure according to the invention brings a significant improvement in the mechanical strength of the lattice structure material in relation to the weight when the material is compared with other known structures, for example in the form of homogeneous solid material. The specified preferred diameter range for the wires can also easily be exceeded or fallen short of by a factor of 10. Especially with very thin wires in the range from 10 μm to 250 μm diameter, there may be interesting areas of application for the manufacture of extremely stable, yet light and thin-walled components.

A material made from steel wire in accordance with the present invention is approximately one-fifth the density of solid steel, yet is of comparable strength. These properties are based on a variety of factors. For example, forces acting on the material are transferred in the same way as forces in a truss or structure with conventional dimensions. In addition, the small cross-sectional area of the wires leads to a large surface-to-volume ratio. In addition, the isolation of elements reduces the progression of cracks or other defects through the material and also contributes to the even distribution or transmission of loads. Finally, the small cross-sectional dimension of the wires used to make the material, preferably less than 0.01 inches [0.25 mm] in diameter, results in superior strength properties because the small grain size of the wires prevents crack propagation.

The invention is also concerned with methods of manufacturing such elements.

In its most general form, the material can be characterized in that it is constructed from a spatial lattice structure, the chemical-physical properties of the material used not being very important at first. The invention is based on Consider which structure of a building material provides the best possible ratio of rigidity or bending strength to the weight of the structural material. However, the components, ie the wires from which the structural material is made, should have good compressive and tensile strength. The "wires" do not necessarily have to consist of a metallic material, but can also consist of a plastic or natural fibers, which are welded or glued to one another accordingly. Although one will generally achieve higher strengths with metallic wires, on the other hand, when using other building materials such as plastics or natural fibers, an extremely low weight can still be achieved with sufficient strength, whereby a correspondingly low weight may not be achievable with metallic materials.

The method according to the invention provides that at least three groups of wires or filaments (whereby non-metallic materials are to be included) are arranged in parallel in each group and are superimposed or interwoven at an angle between 10 ° and 90 ° relative to one another, whereby these groups of wires or other filaments are preferably connected to one another at their crossing points by welding or gluing. In the case of a flat or flat material produced in this way, the three groups of parallel wires or filaments form a structure of triangles which are attached to one another across the entire surface. These can be folded along parallel, equally spaced lines, the wires from one of the groups of parallel wires preferably defining the fold lines. Without intent to limit and only to simplify the description, only wires will be referred to in the following, whereby this term is also intended to include non-metallic materials or can be read analogously to non-metallic materials.

In the preferred embodiment, the triangular lattice made of the three groups of parallel wires is folded alternately along neighboring wires from one of the groups in an accordion-like manner. The grid folded in this way appears in a zigzag shape in a side view with two parallel planes of fold lines which are to be referred to here as the upper and lower planes for better differentiation.

Depending on the structure of the triangular grid, very specific folding angles are preferred. The fold angle designates the angle between two planes which intersect in one of the fold lines of one plane and run through the two fold lines adjacent to it on the other plane. A variant of the invention is particularly preferred in which the folding angle is selected such that the distance between adjacent folding lines in the upper level and also the distance between adjacent folding lines in the lower level is just equal to the knot distance of the knot or intersection points of the wires along the fold lines is, or that at least these distances between folds and nodes are in the ratio of small integers to each other. This makes it possible, in particular, that two such folded grids can be placed on top of one another rotated by 90 °, all nodes or in any case a plurality of nodes of the lower level of one grid being able to coincide with the nodes of the upper level of the other grid, whereby a connection between these neighboring grids should also take place in these nodes. This leads to a particularly stable spatial structure.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the flat gratings are constructed from equilateral triangles, i.e. the three groups of wires intersect each other at angles of 60 °, the arrangement preferably being such that the third group of parallel wires runs exactly along the crossing points of the other two groups, but this does not necessarily have to be the case otherwise.

In such an embodiment, the preferred fold angle, at which the distances between adjacent fold lines of one plane are equal to the distances of the nodes along the fold lines, is approximately 51.3 °.

Another, different embodiment, which may be preferred for certain application conditions, is composed of three groups of wires, which are oriented relative to each other so that not equilateral, but isosceles triangles form, in which the legs are significantly longer than that Base page. This means that two groups of wires intersect at an angle more than 60 °, while the third group of wires forms an angle of more than 60 ° with the first two and passes through the intersections of the first two groups. The last-mentioned third group of wires also forms the fold lines, whereby the folding, like in the previously described embodiment, creates a spatial structure made of pyramids, which are only missing two opposite base sides. In the last-mentioned embodiment with the preferred folding angle, the resulting pyramids are higher and more pointed and the upper and lower planes are further apart than in the previously-mentioned embodiment, which is constructed from equilateral triangles. In this case too, two grids rotated perpendicular to one another can be placed one on top of the other and brought to coincide with their nodes and can be connected if the above-mentioned preferred folding angle is observed, which depends on the exact shape of the triangles from which the respective flat grid is constructed. The desired pyramids with completely encircling base edges also result from the connection of two such folding grid structures which are superimposed crosswise. Regardless of the folding grids to be placed on top of one another, however, flat grids can also be welded to the folding grids, these flat grids having exactly the structure of the nodes of the upper or lower level of the folding grilles. In the triangular lattices described above, rectangular lattice structures are created by folding in the upper and lower levels and, with the preferred folding angle, the structure of a square lattice, in particular, according to the present invention, a structure can also be produced from several layers of folding lattices, with suitable layers optionally also flat grid, eg rectangular grid, can be inserted in between. If a flat grid is placed between two folding grilles, the twisting of the folding grilles by 90 ° to one another can be omitted and in this case there is also no need to maintain the preferred folding angle.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a special production of the starting elements, namely the flat grids, which are then optionally folded and connected to one another in several layers to form the final grid block material.

In order to simplify the production of flat grids, according to this embodiment a flat or flat web material is used, e.g. a sheet of metal from which part of the material is removed by stamping, etching, drilling or other processes so that the remaining parts of the web material form a coherent network or lattice, the remaining parts of the web material being formed as a lattice and in one piece interconnected "wires" in the sense of the previously described embodiments.

Compared to the previously described embodiments, the latter has the following advantages in particular:

1. The resulting flat grid is the same thickness everywhere, i.e. The material is also as thick at the "crossing points" of "wires" as between these crossing points or knots.

2. The step of manufacturing several groups of parallel wires in one another is eliminated cross over layers and connect them at their crossing points. The connection is given from the start by the coherent web material.

3. The "wires" or the individual webs of the web material that remain in the web material after punching out or etching out corresponding holes do not necessarily have to run along continuous, straight lines, but can already be angled relative to one another in the web plane at the individual nodes his. This means that the nodes do not necessarily have to be arranged on three groups of parallel lines, the three groups crossing each other, but more complicated structures are also conceivable, in which the individual nodes are in turn arranged along parallel, straight lines, but possibly more than three groups of parallel lines are necessary to describe the position of all nodes or where the distances of the node lines are smaller or larger compared to materials made from three groups of parallel wires. A correspondingly more complicated structure results, for example, if one imagines that, starting from a wire grid consisting of equilateral triangles, two of the crossing groups of wires do not run exactly straight, but along light zigzag lines, with bends at the nodes and where adjacent wires of the same group are each angled in exactly the opposite direction, so that for a given wire of a group only every second wire runs parallel along the same zigzag line. The resulting triangular lattice is then no longer made up of equilateral triangles, but instead of obliquely angled triangles, the corners of which, however, can still have the symmetry of a lattice made up of equilateral triangles on a larger scale.

4. The "wires" or filaments from which a lattice made of web material is constructed do not necessarily have to have a constant cross section over their entire length, but can for example be wider at the nodes and thus reinforced.

In addition, there are a variety of other design options in the structure of planar grids or networks, but should, however, be designed as far as possible so that they have parallel knot lines along which the web material can be folded, so that after folding these knot lines two parallel Define levels and so that in these levels the connection can be made with other grids, one in the connection level 6 have compatible node structure. A "lattice structure" is considered to be "compatible" which either has the same symmetry and the same distance between the nodes, so that the nodes of adjacent lattice planes of the two lattices to be connected can be made to coincide with one another, or at least such a symmetry and such The distance between nodes is such that a considerable part of the nodes of the neighboring grids, for example at least 10%, can be covered and thus connected to one another. Of course, this also applies in an analogous manner if the nodes of adjacent grids are not connected to one another, but rather one node of one grid is connected to a connecting web between two adjacent nodes of the other grid. Here, too, certain symmetry and spacing conditions must be met so that the connection points are distributed as evenly as possible over the connection plane, so that the forces acting on the material during later use are evenly distributed and derived.

In the following two methods for the production of flat gratings made up of equilateral triangles and corresponding folding gratings are described.

According to a first procedure, the method according to the invention includes providing equipment that is capable of accommodating a series of sliding blocks and a weaving frame in which the sliding blocks can be arranged. Next, fine wires are attached to the loom and then woven. Following the weaving, the wires are welded together. The resulting sheets or sheet material can then be used in the desired manner or shaped as necessary to create a corrugated material. In an alternative embodiment of the method according to the invention, the material according to the invention can be produced in elongated sections and using suitable mounting and welding structures. These elongated sections can then be corrugated or shaped as desired. The individual steps of these methods according to the invention will be discussed in detail below.

Reference is now made to a first method according to the invention, a frame or tensioning frame and various sliding blocks being mounted in a first step. These devices serve to keep the wires in the proper arrangement under tension and prior to welding. The stenter is a substantially flat ring that has three sets of opposing tracks with T-shaped slots that are at 120 ° intervals are arranged. The slide block assemblies, which are sized and shaped to fit within the tracks of the tenter frame, have rows of parallel grooves to capture the wires and hold them in place. In the next step, the loom, which consists of three grooved stands on a rotating, triangular platform, is prepared. More specifically, the loom is prepared to include three posts that have positioning surfaces on which the slide block assemblies are locked before the wire is withdrawn from the spool. While the winding frame or weaving frame and thus also the stands are rotating, the wire continues to run down through the grooves of the slide blocks, so that after one revolution the wire runs into the next deep groove.

As soon as the wire is placed on the weaving or winding frame, the wire is cut off next to the sliding blocks. Next, the slide blocks are mounted on the previously prepared frame so that they form a wire mesh or a matrix. The nodes of the wire matrix, i.e. the points at which the wires overlap one another are then connected to one another using a forging press. The forging press applies heat and pressure evenly to all connections at the same time in order to achieve welding at each node. As soon as all nodes are connected, the material can be removed from the sliding blocks and the tenter. The flat material thus produced using the method of the invention can be used in isolation as a building material. Alternatively, the resulting material can be bent or kinked using a press, ram, and die, or by passing through a set of sawtooth rollers to form corrugated pleats. This latter material can be alternately stacked and bonded with flat sheets of the material to form a thicker three-dimensional material.

At the beginning of an alternative method according to the invention, a set of wires is positioned on a second holding frame. Next, a wire is placed on a first holding frame. The first and second holding frames are then moved opposite each other such that the wires of the second holding frame are arranged at a relative angle of about 60 ° to the wire on the first frame. At the intersections, the wires of the second frame are welded to the wire on the first frame. Welding can be done wire by wire or in groups, as desired. When welding is complete, the wires in the second frame are advanced so that the wire in the first frame can be moved into an adjacent groove. Then a second wire is placed in the first frame and the Λ0

The welding process is repeated. This process continues until a substructure of desired dimensions is made from two sets of welded wires.

In the next phase of this method of the invention, a third set of wires is welded to the two wire substructure discussed above. Again, a wire is placed in the first holding frame. The first and second support frames are then moved to a position opposite each other so that all of the wires are aligned at relative angles of about 60 °. This means that a row is formed from equilateral triangles. The wires are welded together at the intersections. As mentioned above, the welding can be done wire by wire or in groups as desired. When the welding of the wires is completed, the finished material is released from the holding frame.

The material produced using the alternative method of the invention can also be used in isolation as a structural material or building and construction material. Optionally, the material so produced can also be bent or kinked using a press, a press die and a die, or by passing it through a set of sawtooth rollers to form corrugated or serrated or serrated sheets. This latter material can be alternately stacked and bonded with flat sheets of the material to form a thicker three-dimensional material.

In another method for producing the lattice material, which is not limited to a 60 ° angle between the groups of wires, a series of parallel wires is tensioned, which can be advanced in parallel in their longitudinal direction by a welding device. The corresponding device also contains guiding and / or tensioning devices in order to keep the first group of wires parallel and contains further guiding and tensioning devices for a second group of parallel wires which extend at an angle to the first-mentioned group of wires , which angle can be between 10 ° and 90 °. Finally, the corresponding device also has a third group of guide elements or tensioning devices, with the aid of which a third group of parallel wires is aligned so that it extends to the first two groups at an angle between 10 ° and 90 °, preferably below the same Angle to the first group, which also includes the second group with the first group. The guide and tensioning devices are arranged so that the three groups of wires each have common intersection or overlay points. Welding can be carried out one after the other, ie ΛΛ first between wires of the first and second group and then between wires of the third and second group, but it can also be done on all three groups or individual wires at the same time. The wires are then lifted out of appropriate guides and moved a distance that corresponds to the working area of the welding device.

The groups of wires can simply be arranged one above the other in layers, but if necessary they can also be interwoven, which, however, complicates the manufacturing process.

On the basis of the principles according to the invention, however, not only plane structural materials, but also spatially curved objects such as e.g. B. pipes or the like. For this, e.g. B. one of the folding grates described above and then bent into a tube or tube section. In this case, however, the connection with a further folding grille or also with one or two flat grids on the inside and / or outside of the folding grille bent into a tube takes place only after the bending. In this case, particular care must be taken to ensure that, due to curvature, the distance between the nodes on the inside of the curved folding grid is different than on the outside. It is therefore expedient to produce flat grids and folding grids with different grid dimensions, which can be made to coincide with the nodes of a curved folding grille for a given tube diameter. It is therefore preferred to produce certain, fixed pipe diameters for which a correspondingly large number of suitable folding gratings and flat gratings can be produced.

Other general and specific objects of the invention are partially apparent and will in part become apparent hereinafter.

Accordingly, the invention features a method and a device having steps, design features, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts designed to effect such steps as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, the scope of which Invention is specified by the claims.

Brief description of the figures

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is made to the 42 following detailed description and reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the construction material of FIG

Invention is, Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view from above of a section of the construction or

1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the structural material of the invention, which has a corrugated or corrugated cross-sectional structure, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a further embodiment of the

Structural material of the invention is, which alternate layers of the in the

Figures 1-3 have illustrated embodiments of the invention, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the structural material of the figure

4 shown invention in assembled state, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the frame or stretcher for which

Fabrication of the structural material of the invention is used by a first

The method of the invention is used with the slide blocks and wire filaments in a position for forging, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the loom and spool frame used for the

Fabrication of the structural material of the invention is used by a first

Method according to the invention is applied, wherein the wire on a

Section of the sliding blocks is woven, Figures 8 A and 8 B

Top views are first and second support frames used to make the structural material of the invention by the alternative

Method according to the invention is used. FIG. 9 shows a flat grid, which is made up of isosceles triangles with a small one

Angle is composed. Figure 10 schematically shows the structural change associated with a folding process. Figure 11 is a plan view of a folded grid with a preferred folding angle, so that the

Nodes of a plane form a square grid, FIG. 12 shows a detail from FIG. 11 in a perspective view, and FIG. 13 shows a grid made from a web material.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Reference is now first made to FIGS. 1-8, in which the same reference numerals refer to like parts and illustrate a structural material 10 embodying the present invention. The structural material 10 is produced from a grid or network of fine wire segments 12, which are connected to one another at their nodes 14. The fine wire segments 12 are sections of a continuous wire 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the structural material 10 is characterized by a grid of fine wire segments 12. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the structural material 10 can be flat or corrugated or jagged in cross-section, depending on the intended technical application. In larger, more complex embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the structural material 10 has a multilayer structure which consists of pyramids 18 stacked uniformly in a three-dimensional arrangement. Each pyramid 18 consists of eight wire sections 12, which are connected to one another at their nodes 14. In all of these embodiments, the wire segments 12 typically consist of brass, stainless steel or EDM wire. The fine wires 12 preferably have a diameter between 0.005 inches and 0.01 inches [0.125-0.254 mm]. Furthermore, the wire sections 12 are typically between 0.02 inches and 0.1 inches [0.5-2.5 mm] long. A currently preferred wire material is 0.08 inches in diameter and is made of stainless steel.

The invention also contemplates alternative methods of making structural material 10. A first method uses tenter assemblies 22 and loom assemblies 26, which are described in detail below. An alternative method uses holding frames 70 and 72, which are shown in Figures 8A and 8B, to manufacture the material according to the invention.

At the beginning of a first method of manufacturing the material of the invention, a frame 22 is provided which is designed to accommodate a series of sliding blocks 24. In addition, a weaving frame 26 in which the slide blocks 24 can be placed during the initial weaving is prepared. In the next step of the method of the invention, a continuous wire 16 for weaving is assembled. The wire 16 is then drawn into the weaving frame 26 and interwoven as required. Following the weaving, the wire or wires 16 are positioned in the frame 22 and typically connected to one another at the nodes or intersections 14 of the wire segments 12. The resulting sheets or sheets can then be used as desired or shaped as required to produce a multi-layer material. The individual steps of the procedure according to the invention are discussed in more detail below. In the first step of the method according to the invention, the frame 22 and the sliding blocks 24 are assembled. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, these devices serve to keep the wires or wire filaments 16 under tension and in the correct orientation before welding. Overall, the frame 22 is a flat ring 28 that has three sets of opposing rails or guides 30 that have T-shaped slots 35. The rails 30 are arranged at angular intervals or intervals of 120 °. This angle is therefore selected so that when the three sets of sliding blocks 24, which have wires or filaments 16 extending therefrom, are arranged in the frame 22, the intersecting wire segments 12 form a plurality of equilateral triangles .

The slide blocks 24 each have a first portion 32 with a surface 33 that has a series of parallel grooves 34 to receive the wires 16 and to hold them precisely in place. A second surface 37, which is arranged on the visible side of each of the sliding blocks 24, is designed such that it can be mounted on the stands 38 of the weaving frame 26, which will be described in more detail below. Each slide block 24 also has a second portion 36 that is configured to fit the first portion 32. The second section 36 is sized and shaped to engage the wires when the weaving described below is accomplished. For example, the first and second sections 32 and 36 can be connected using machine screws, bolts, and other fasteners that those skilled in the art are familiar with.

Next, the weaving frame 26, which is shown in FIG. 7 and which consists of three stands 38 on a rotating, triangular platform 40, is prepared. Each post 38 has a positioning surface 42 on which the first portions 32 of the slide blocks 24 are attached before the wire 16 is drawn into the weaving frame 26. The positioning surfaces 42 on the stands 38 are designed in such a way that they secure the sliding blocks 24, their grooved surfaces 33 being turned outwards. In operation, each of the second surfaces 37 of the first sections 32 is placed on the sliding blocks 24 in contact with a surface of one of the stands 38 to prepare the weaving frame 26 for weaving. The sliding blocks 24 can on the stands 38 e.g. using machine screws, bolts, or other fasteners known to those skilled in the art.

In the next step of the method of the invention, the weaving frame 26 and thus also the stand 38 are rotated so as to pull the wire 16 over the grooves 34 of the sliding blocks 24. 45

In particular, the frame 26 is rotated such that after one revolution the wire 16 runs into the next deep groove 34 of each sliding block 24. This process continues until all of the grooves 34 of the slide blocks 24 contain a portion of the wire 16. During weaving, wire filament 16 is preferably held under a tension between about 0.05 and 0.2 ounces [1.4-6 g]. If one carries out this method, a parallel field of the wire or wires 16 is formed between all the stands 38. When the wire is arranged on the weaving frame 26 or the winding frame in the parallel arrangement, the second section 36 of each of the sliding blocks 24 is arranged above each of the first sections 32. The wire 16 is then fixed in position for further treatment. The wire 16 is then severed. More specifically, the wire 16 is cut along the uprights 38, e.g. a welding torch is used. This process creates three independent sections 46 with a slide block 24 at each end of a wire section 48. The slide blocks 24 are then released from the positioning surfaces 42 and transported to the frame 22.

In the next step of the method according to the invention, the sliding blocks 24 and the wire sections 48 are mounted on the frame 22 and the wire sections 48 are connected to one another using a forging press. In particular, the sliding blocks 24 are positioned in the T-slots 35 of the rails 30. Similar T-slots 35, sliding blocks 24 and wire sections 48 are mounted on the frame 22 at relative angles of 120 °. An arrangement in this manner creates a trigonal grid of wire segments 12 which have the shape of a plurality of equilateral triangles 50. Each triangle 50 has three nodes 14 in common with its neighboring triangles 50. If all of the wire segments 12 are correctly or properly oriented, a forging press, which is familiar to those skilled in the art, is used to apply heat and pressure to all of the nodes 14 at the same time. Preferably, the press delivers a pressure of about 50 pounds per square inch and a temperature of 1250 degrees Fahrenheit. The wire segments 12 are preferably welded together under vacuum. As soon as all nodes 14 are connected to one another, the resulting structural material 10 can be removed from the frame 22 and possibly the side blocks 24.

Figures 8A and 8B show support frames 70 and 72 which can be used for an alternative method of the invention to make the material of the invention. According to Figure 8 A, the holding frame 70 has an approximately rectangular shape. A series of grooves 74 are cut into the surface 76 of the frame 70. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the dimension of the grooves 74 is determined by the dimension of the wire used to construct the material and grid in accordance with the invention. The grooves 74 are even on the surface 76 Λ6 spaced apart. In general, the spacing between the grooves 74 is determined by the desired properties of the material and grid produced. Typically, the grooves 74 are separated from each other between about 0.03 inches and 0.07 inches [0.75 mm - 1.8 mm]. Preferably, the grooves 74 are separated by approximately 0.05 inches [approximately 1.27 mm]. The grooves 74 run parallel. A slot 78 is cut into an edge 80 of the frame 70 to provide access for a welding electrode (not shown).

According to FIG. 8, the holding frame 72 has a polygonal shape with at least two sides 82 and 84, which are arranged at an angle relative to one another. The angle between the sides 82 and 84 of the holding frame 72 is selected such that the wires, when placed on the frame 72, are oriented at about 60 ° relative to a wire placed on the holding frame 70. The frame 72 also has a series of grooves 86 cut into one of its surfaces 88. Again, those skilled in the art will recognize that the dimension of the grooves 86 is determined by the dimension of the wire used to construct the material and grid in accordance with the present invention. The grooves 86 are evenly spaced from one another on the surface 88. The distance between the grooves 86 is determined by the desired properties of the material and grid produced. Typically, the grooves are spaced apart by about 0.03 inches to about 0.07 inches [about 0.75 mm - 1.8 mm]. Preferably, the grooves 86 are about 0.05 inches apart. The grooves 86 are parallel. A flange 90, held in place by a screw 92, extends over a portion of the surface 88 of the support frame 72. In use, the flange 90 and screw 92 cooperate to secure or secure the wires disposed on the frame 70. hold tight.

At the beginning of an alternative method according to the invention, a first set of wires is placed in the grooves 86 of the frame 72. Once these are placed, the flange 90 is placed over the wires and secured using the screw 92. Next, a wire is placed in the groove 74 which is closest to the edge 80 of the frame 70. The first and second frames 70 and 72 are then brought into a contact position next to each other so that the wires overlap and at a relative angle of are aligned approximately 60 ° to each other. Preferably, the wires held in frame 72 overlap the wire held in frame 70. The wires are then welded together at the intersections. The welding can be done wire by wire or in groups, as desired.

When the welding of the wires held in the frames 70 and 72 is completed the substructure or substructure is moved so that the wire in the frame 70 now rests in the groove which is further from the edge 80 or the one after that. A new wire is then placed in the groove 74 closest to the edge 80 and the welding process begins again. In this way, successive wires held in the first frame 70 are attached to the wires held in the second frame 72. In the next phase of the method according to the invention, a third set of wires is attached to the substructure of wires, which was produced according to the method described above. In order to carry out this assembly process, a wire is again arranged in the groove 74 which is closest to the edge 80 of the frame 70. The first and second frames 70, 72 are again moved side by side in contact so that all of the wires overlap and are arranged at relative angles of about 60 °. The wires are then welded together again at the intersections. The welding can be done wire by wire or in groups as required.

When the welding of the wires is complete, the material 10 of the invention is removed from the frames. The material 10 can then be processed further as desired.

The structural material 10, which is produced using the methods according to the invention, can be used in isolation, as shown in FIG. 1. Optionally, the structural material can also be corrugated or folded as shown in Figure 3, e.g. using a press, press die and die, or by running it through a set of sawtooth rollers to form corrugated webs. The folded or corrugated embodiment of the structural material 10, which is shown in FIG. 3, is preferably produced by sending the pleaded structural material, which is shown in FIG. 1, through a roller press. The roller press has a substantially flat protruding part and a curved recessed part. The curved recessed part tangentially contacts the flat projecting part along a single line, in operation the structural material 10 is bent along the line of contact between the projecting and recessed parts of the press. This structure is preferred because it allows the structural material 10 to contract as it is bent.

The structural material made using the method according to the invention can also be used to form a larger, multi-layered structure, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment, alternating layers of the flat structural material 10 according to FIG. 1 with the corrugated or folded structural material 10 according to FIG lg

Figure 3 connected. To form this material, the layers are first stacked on top of one another, as shown in FIG. Next, the loose material 10 is placed in the forging press and welded according to the method described above in connection with the method for forming a single sheet of the structural material 10.

The following is an illustrative, non-limiting example of the process for making a material according to the invention.

Example 1.

At the beginning of the manufacturing process, a section of a wire was inserted into the grooves, which were cut into the surface of a second holding frame (FIG. 8B). A single wire was placed in the first groove of a first holding frame (Figure 8 A). The wires arranged in both frames were made of stainless steel, had a diameter of 0.008 inches [0.2 mm] and were obtained from All Staiπless Co. in Hingham, Massachu¬ setts. Next, using a straight edge, the ends of the wires placed in the second frame were aligned so that each wire extended approximately 0.01 inches beyond the edge of the frame. The wires arranged in the second frame were then brought into contact with the single wire arranged in the first frame. In particular, the wires were oriented so that the wires in the second frame were at a relative angle of 60 ° to the wire in the first frame.

In the next step of the process, an electrode was brought into contact with the wires in the second frame and the single wire in the first frame. More specifically, an electrode was placed at each intersection to exert five (5) pounds of pressure on each wire transition. The electrode was connected to a power source capable of providing a regulated percentage of nominal current ranging from one (1) to ninety (99) percent in 1% increments for a regulated number of sixty (60) Hertz cycles (each cycle being approximately 16.7 ms) ranging from one (1) to seventy (70) cycles in one (1) cycle increments. Using the power supply, a current of 55% of the standard nominal current was delivered to the intersection during one (1) cycle. This process was repeated until all intersection points were welded together. In the final phase of the assembly process, the partial assembly of the first and second wires was again placed in the second frame and then a third frame was placed in the first frame. At every intersection an electrode was again placed in contact with the wires so that it applied five (5) pounds of pressure to each wire junction. A current of approximately sixty-five (65) percent of the standard nominal current was delivered to the intersection during one cycle using the power supply described above. This process was repeated until all intersection points were welded together. It can therefore be seen that the invention achieves the objectives described above in an efficient manner, among all the others which are obvious from the description above. In particular, the present invention provides a high strength, low weight structural material and an efficient method for its manufacture.

It is understood that changes may be made in the above structure and in the foregoing operations or manufacturing processes without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that everything contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be understood only by way of example and not in a restrictive sense.

It is also understood that the following claims are intended to inherit all of the invention described here and to cover specific features, as well as all statements of the scope or scope of protection of the invention that could be in between because of the way of expression.

FIG. 13 schematically shows, as an example, a section of a flat sheet material which has been given the structure of a regular triangular lattice by punching out or etching. When viewed from above, the removed areas have approximately the shape of equilateral triangles rounded at the corners, so that knot points or knot surfaces are created which are reinforced compared to the filaments forming the knots. Possible crease lines when folding such a grid are indicated by dash-dotted lines

It goes without saying that the cutouts in the web material can have any shape and arrangement in principle, so that not only can all structures be produced which can also be produced with groups of parallel wires, but also further, more complicated lattice and network structures. Starting from such a flat grid or network, it can in turn be folded and connected to similar or also to other folded or flat gratings and stacked in layers in order to produce the block material therefrom.

FIG. 9 shows a section of a flat grid in which three groups of ao

Wires 1, 2 and 3 are each aligned parallel to one another, groups 2 and 3 intersecting at an angle of approximately 40 ° and with the third group 1 both enclosing an angle of approximately 70 °.

If a folding grid is produced from this group, the folding lines preferably run along the first group 1 of wires, the second and third groups 2, 3 of wires then forming a pyramid structure.

FIG. 10 shows the effect of the folding process on the structure in the upper and lower levels 4, 4 'of a folded grid.

First, Figure 10 shows a flat grid at the bottom left, which is made up of equilateral triangles.

The wires 1, 1 'from one of the groups of parallel wires are selected as fold lines. The folding can be done with the help of rollers, bending devices or presses. A top view of the folded grid is shown schematically at the top left in FIG. The wires 1 define an upper lattice plane 4 and the wires 1 "define a lower lattice plane 4 '. Also shown in FIG. 10 at the top left is the folding angle α, which is defined as the angle of two intersecting planes, the planes being in one cut the fold lines and run through one of the next adjacent fold lines of the other plane.

The folded grid is shown in a top view from above on the right in FIG. For a better comparison with the flat grid, four grid points on wires 1, which define the upper plane 4, are highlighted in the flat grid by circling. The same circled grid points can also be seen on the right in the folded grid, their distance in the direction of the fold lines 1 not having changed, but the distance perpendicular to the fold lines 1, 1 '. Specifically, this horizontal distance in the folded lattice depends only on the folding angle α. In the case of a planar lattice which is made up of equilateral triangles and which has a hexagonal structure, one can achieve with a folding angle α of approximately 51.3 ° that the horizontal distance of the lattice points designated by a in FIG. the distance between adjacent fold lines of the same plane 4 or 4 'becomes equal to the distance b of the grid points along the fold lines 1, 1'. Such a case is shown in FIG. 11.

In Figure 11 it can be seen that after folding by the preferred angle, the nodes of the IA form a square grid at the upper grid level and that the nodes of the lower grid plane identified by circles at some points also form an identical square grid. For better clarification of the spatial structure, the fold lines of the lower grid level are only drawn in with dashed lines and the fold lines of the upper grid level, as well as the side edges of the pyramids that form, are drawn with solid lines.

The area marked 5 in FIG. 11 is shown again in a perspective illustration in FIG. A total of twelve pyramids can be seen in FIG. 12, the tips of which are connected to one another by the wires 1, while the wires 1 'of the lower level 4' each define parallel side edges of the lower levels of the pyramids. In this form, the structure is only rigid in one direction and has a high resistance to bending around an axis that is perpendicular to the fold lines in plane 4 or 4 '. However, such a grid initially offers little resistance to bending about an axis parallel to the fold lines, since the lower edges of these pyramids running horizontally in FIG. 12 are still missing from the pyramids. However, if one takes an identical folded grid, rotates it by 90 ° with respect to that shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 and then places it on the first grid, its fold lines run exactly perpendicular to fold lines 1, 1 'of the grid shown and the two Grids can be arranged relative to each other so that the nodes that form the top or bottom corners of the pyramids coincide exactly. If the grids are welded together in this form, the tips or base points of the pyramids are also connected to one another in the horizontal direction and then form a very torsion-resistant structure. Several such layers can be welded onto one another alternately offset by 90 °. At the lowest layer, either a simple flat square grid with the same grid dimensions as the pyramid base points can be welded on, or just a simple group of wires stretched in parallel, which are perpendicular to the folding lines 1 ^* and have the same distance from each other as the fold lines 1 '(and thus also like the lower corner points of the pyramids) are welded to the lower level 4' in the nodes.

The same naturally also occurs with the pyramid tips of the uppermost layer of such a block grid, which is composed of several layers, the tips of the pyramids, which are already connected in one direction via the wires 1, also connected to one another horizontally by a square grid or a corresponding group of parallel wires become. It should also be noted that the lower corner points of each of the pyramids also form peaks of upside-down pyramids, as can also be easily understood from FIG. The joining of the pyramid tips is 11 accordingly a completely equivalent to connecting the lower corner points of the pyramids

Process.

If several layers of such folded lattices are connected to one another, it is of course important that all lattice points are exactly aligned, so that the nodes in the adjacent planes 4, 4 'of adjacent folding lattices lie exactly against one another. Correspondingly, the grids must be folded beforehand. If the two grids are exactly aligned with each other, in the case of only two grids, the welding can still be carried out by a forging press which engages the pyramid tips from one side of the grids. In the case of structures consisting of several layers, however, this type of operation is not readily possible. If, however, the grids are manufactured very precisely and lie on top of one another in a suitable manner, the welding can also be carried out by placing large-area electrodes on the two outer sides of the grids, through which a suitable current surge then occurs

is sent through, so that the two grids are welded together at their transition points, which define a greater electrical resistance than the rest of the material.

Of course, mechanical connection technology, such as that of contacting semiconductor chips, e.g. with gold wires, are known to be used.

Instead of one or more flat grids or in addition to them, plates or foils can of course also be welded or glued to the pyramid tips and base points of the folded grids. This applies in particular to the outermost layers of single or multi-layer grids. The structural material according to the invention can then also be used for gas-tight and liquid-tight partition walls or containers.

Likewise, the interstices of the grid can be filled in independently of or in addition to the surface covering, e.g. B. with a synthetic resin or other flowable, preferably curable substances.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Grid structure made of wires, in particular of thin wires, which has a first, a second and a third group of continuous wire sections, the wire sections being welded to one another at their intersection points, at least two of the first, second or third group of wire segments underneath are arranged at an angle of approximately 60 ° relative to the other series, the first, second and third groups of wire segments being fastened to one another so that they form a continuous field of trigonal structures, the trigonal structures being in the form of a series of equilateral triangles.

2. Wire mesh according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third series of wire segments are formed from a material which is selected from the group consisting of brass, stainless steel and EDM wire.

3. The wire mesh of claim 2, wherein the material forming the first, second and third series of wire segments has a diameter between about 0.005 inches and about 0.01 inches [0.125mm - 2.5mm].

4. A wire mesh according to claim 3, wherein the material forming the first, second and third series of wire segments has a diameter of approximately 0.008 "[0.2 mm].

5. The wire mesh of claim 1, wherein the distance between the intersections of the first, second or third series of wire segments is between about 0.01 inches and 0.1 inches [between 0.25 mm and 2.5 mm].

6. A method for producing a grid from wires, in particular from thin wires, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a frame, the frame having an annular shape and at least three sets of opposing rails, each of these rails being so dimensioned and is shaped to receive a slide block with the sets and opposing rails spaced at 120 ° relative to each other, b) providing the slide blocks, the slide blocks having a first portion which has a series of parallel grooves on a first Have area, as well as a second section configured to engage the first surface of the first section, c) providing a loom, the loom having at least three grooved stands on a rotating trigonal platform, the stands positioning surfaces which are designed so that they receive one of the respective first sections of the side blocks firmly secured, d) pulling a fine wire filament into the weaving frame and into the grooves in the first surface of the first section of the sliding blocks, e) securing the wire in the Sliding blocks by placing the second portion of the sliding blocks into engagement with the first surfaces of the first portions of the sliding blocks and severing the wires adjacent to the sliding blocks, f) attaching the sliding blocks to the opposite sets of rails on the frame so as to form a wire matrix from the wire filaments form, the sliding blocks on the frame de be mounted so that the wires attached to the frame intersect at approximately 120 ° angles, the wires forming an array of equilateral trigonal structures, and g) welding the wires together to form the wire mesh, which has a flat shape.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of bending the wire mesh to form a wire mesh having a corrugated shape.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of welding a first portion of a wire mesh having the flat shape onto one side of a wire mesh having the corrugated or folded shape.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step that a second portion of the wire mesh, which has the flat structure, is welded onto a second side of the wire mesh, which has the corrugated - or folded shape, wherein the second side of the Wire mesh, which has the corrugated shape, is opposite the first side of the wire mesh, which has the corrugated shape.

10. A method of making a wire mesh, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first frame, the first frame having a series of grooves for receiving a first group of fine wires, b) providing a second frame, the second frame a series of grooves 16 for receiving a second group of fine wires, c) placing a group of wires in the grooves of the second frame and securing this group of wires in position, d) placing a wire segment in a groove of the first frame, e) moving the first and second frames are in abutment with each other so that the groups of wires in the second frame are aligned at a relative angle of 60 ° to the wire segment in the first frame, f) welding the group of wires in the second frame to the wire segment in the first frame, g) continuously inserting wire segments into the first frame and welding the wire segment to the group of wires in the second frame so as to form a sub-structure of welded wires, h) arranging the sub-structure of welded wires in the second Frame, wherein the substructure comprises a group of wires that are held in the second frame and the wires elements that were held in the first frame, i) arranging a wire segment in the first frame, j) welding the partial assembly of wires to the wire segment arranged in the first frame, k) continuously inserting wire segments in the first frame and ver ¬ welding this wire segment to the partial structure of welded wires, so as to form the wire mesh, which has a flat shape,

I) removing the wire mesh from the first and second frames.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of bending the wire mesh to thereby form a wire mesh having a corrugated shape.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of welding a first portion of a wire mesh that is flat in shape to one side of the wire mesh that is in a corrugated shape.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of welding a second portion of the wire mesh having the flat shape onto a second side of the wire mesh having the corrugated shape, the second side of the wire mesh being the corrugated Shape is arranged opposite from the first side of the wire mesh with the corrugated shape.

14. Wire mesh with several groups of parallel wires, characterized in that the grid has at least three groups of wires parallel to each other, that the wires of different groups enclose an angle of at least 10 ° and at most 90 ° with each other, and that the wires at their crossing points with each other are welded.

15. Grid according to claim 14, characterized in that the distances between the wires within each group and the relative angles between wires of different groups are chosen so that a wire from each of the three groups runs through each crossing point.

16. Wire mesh according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the mesh is folded like an accordion.

17. Wire mesh according to claim 16, characterized in that the fold lines run along parallel rows of crossing points.

18. Wire mesh according to claim 17, characterized in that the folding angle and the length of the folded portions, measured perpendicular to the folding lines, are chosen so that the grid dimension of crossing points lying in a plane of the folded grid with the grid dimension of the crossing points of a flat, unfolded grid matches.

19. Grid according to claim 17, characterized in that the grid dimension of the crossing points in a plane of a folded grid to the grid dimension of the crossing points of a flat, unfolded grid is in the ratio of small integers.

20. Wire mesh according to claim 16 or one of the claims dependent on claim 16, characterized in that in the flat, yet unfolded mesh the angle between two wires from different groups is 60 °, that the folding lines along the wires from a group of parallel Wires run and that the folding angle is approximately 51.3 °, so that the distance from crossing points on a folding line is equal to the distance between adjacent fold mountains or valleys among themselves

21. Lattice structure made of filaments, the filaments being arranged in parallel in groups and the filaments of different groups enclosing an angle of at least 10 ° and at most 90 ° with one another, characterized in that at least part of the Filaments are made from a flat sheet material by removing regularly arranged surface areas of the sheet material.

22. Mesh material according to claim 21, characterized in that the removed areas are approximately in the form of triangles, preferably with rounded corner regions.

23. Lattice structure according to claim 22, characterized in that the triangles are arranged in at least two groups, the orientation of the triangles within one group being the same and different between the two groups, in particular rotated by 180 ° to the triangles of the other group.

24. Lattice structure according to one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that the at least one starting grid is made of a sheet metal material.

25. A method of manufacturing a wire mesh, characterized in that three groups of parallel wires are superimposed or interwoven, the wires of one group forming an angle of at least 10 ° and at most 90 ° with the wires of another group, and wherein the wires of the different Groups are welded together at their crossing points.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the arrangement of the wires takes place so that each crossing point has three wires, one from each of the different groups.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that the wire mesh is folded like an accordion.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that a plurality of grids, which are either flat or folded, are placed one above the other in several layers and welded to one another at at least part of their contact points.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that two folded grids are connected to each other with a fold orientation rotated by 90 °, preferably by welding.

30. A method for producing the lattice material according to one of claims 21 to 24, characterized in that regularly arranged surface areas are removed from a web material.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that the surface areas are punched out of the material.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that the surface areas are removed from the material by etching agents.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that the structure of the areas to be etched out is produced by photolithographic techniques.

34. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 33, characterized in that a sheet material is used as the web material.

35. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 34, characterized in that the web material after the removal of the intended areas, which leave a regular lattice or network structure, the resulting lattice or network is folded along parallel node lines, which along the Connecting lines run from neighboring nodes.