JPH04230498A - Electric exclusion type separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a discharging device and a discharging method separating a solid and fragile material such as ice from the low-voltage electric discharging device and having a long operating life by providing at least two separable electric conductor devices having a stationary state and an excited state and surrounded in a blanket. CONSTITUTION: This discharge type separator 11 has a blanket 12 made of a thermoplastic material which surrounds slender ribbon-shaped conductor devices 13, 14. The conductor devices 13, 14 include a ribbon section 16 having an intermediate space 17, and the top conductor device 13 is aligned with the bottom conductor device 14. A spot electric connecting connector 22 is formed at a tab section 21 to make an electric connection between the top conductor device 13 and the bottom conductor device 14. A positive lead wire 23 is connected to the top conductor device 13, and a negative lead wire 24 is connected to the bottom conductor device 14. The conductor devices 13, 14 take a separating action according to the prescribed pattern in response to the repulsion generated by the magnetic field.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to electrical emission separation devices and methods, and more particularly to devices and methods that operate explosively in nature to crush and remove solid or brittle materials.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A representative prior art device is described in US Pat. No. 4,690,353, issued September 1, 1987 and entitled "Electroemission Separation System" to Haslim et al. In the above system, electrical conductors are formed from blanks of suitable metal in a zigzag pattern of continuous ribbons with gaps in between. The above pattern is folded about axis 36 to define two sections 37 and 38, as shown in FIG. Although the device of the above US patent works well, there are significant drawbacks:
These include stress cracking, metal fatigue, and conductor failure occurring at one of the multiple hinges juxtaposed along axis 36. In operation, the patented device described above develops stress due to periodic bending in the various hinges; hinge failure can occur resulting in failure of the entire device.

0003

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a discharge device and a discharge method that can separate solid, brittle materials such as ice from a low-pressure electrical discharge device, while at the same time having a long operating life. . Another feature of the invention provides a discharge device in the form of an elongated flexible thin package suitable for attachment to a surface such as an aircraft wing and in which a blanket of resilient material surrounds a metallic conductor arrangement. There is a particular thing.

0004

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electrical exclusion separator according to the present invention includes a flexible blanket having first and second outer walls, a first position defining a resting state and a second position defining an energized state. at least two separable electrical conductor devices having two positions and encased within the blanket; an intermediate layer sandwiched between the conductor devices; and elastic coupling devices within the blanket for coupling the blankets at regular intervals. The conductor device can be separated according to a predetermined pattern by controlling the conductor device in response to a repulsive force generated by a magnetic field generated when the conductor device is energized by an electric current. 1st and 2nd
The sidewalls, intermediate layer and interlocking devices are made of thermoplastic polymer. A first connecting device connects the first outer wall to the intermediate layer and a second connecting device connects the second outer wall to the intermediate layer, both connections to the intermediate layer being on opposite sides of the intermediate layer. The blanket is elongated, and first and second outer walls are respectively connected to the intermediate layer by a plurality of spaced apart first and second connecting devices, the first and second connecting devices protruding on opposite sides of the intermediate layer. The connection between the first outer wall and the intermediate layer is the second
There is a longitudinal discrepancy with the connection between the outer wall and the middle layer. An insulating device is arranged between each conductor device and the intermediate layer. The insulation device is a thermal and electrical insulator made of a thermoplastic polymer that has a melting point higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer forming the blanket, interconnection device, and intermediate layer. The resilient coupling device projects through the insulation device. Each interlocking device defines at least one flat interlocking ribbon pattern defining elongated ribbon portions separated by intervening elongated gaps. Coupling devices are spaced apart along the ribbon portion and located within the interstitial gap. Because the coupling device has elastic memory, it provides a restoring force to return the conductor device to its rest position when deenergized. A peripheral seal is formed in the blanket such that a plurality of voids are formed between one of the first and second outer walls and the intermediate layer when the conductor arrangement is moved from a resting state to an energized state. The void creates a vacuum and increases the restoring force of the coupling device. A solid or brittle material removal method according to the present invention for removing a solid or brittle material adhering to a surface comprises a step of impacting the material with a force of sufficient magnitude to break the adhesion between the material and the surface; and maintaining the force for 10 to 80 microseconds. The above process is carried out under high velocity air flow. The above forces are applied between the ice and the surface. The above forces are generated electro-magnetically. Furthermore, the method of periodically pulsating the conductor device of the electricity exclusion device according to the present invention on the order of 50 microseconds includes a process of charging the first and second capacitors to a predetermined voltage, and a process of charging the first capacitor to a predetermined voltage. discharging the conductive device to supply current, simultaneously applying said current to a rectifier to reverse the current and voltage, and using said reversed current and voltage to interrupt the current to the conductive device. and, including. The second capacitor is the first
The circuit is connected to the cathode of the capacitor. A first rectifier is used to activate the first capacitor, and a second rectifier in circuit connection with the first rectifier is used to interrupt the current in the conductor device.

[0005]

Operation: The conductor device and the blanket wall are placed in a predetermined position by the control of a spaced apart connector device that connects the blanket wall to the intermediate layer in response to the repulsive force generated by the magnetic field generated when the conductor device is energized with an electric current. Separate with a pattern of A long operating life is obtained by taking advantage of the known properties of the elastic materials (eg polyurethane, polyethylene and butadiene) from which the blanket and interlayer are made. The advantageous properties are initially (the first 80 of the applied force
The compressive modulus (Young's modulus) of this elastic material in microseconds is much larger than the modulus value specified in the usual specifications given in standard chemistry handbooks. In other words, initially the substance is solid. The present invention
It takes advantage of the property of applying a very high current to the blanket's conductors for a short period of time so that they move across the surface of the blanket exactly the same distance as the inner conductor. Due to the initially high modulus of the elastic material, it becomes nearly incompressible for a short period of time, and the surface of the blanket moves approximately one-to-one with respect to the corresponding surface movement of the underlying conductor. The very large forces that occur with minimal motion break up the crystalline ice (or other brittle material) at the blanket surface and break the bond between the ice and the blanket. The ice is then separated by wind speed and gravity. The very short pulsations mentioned above affect blanket life by limiting the movement necessary to effectively de-ice. The first part of the emissive pulsation produces a small deformation of the metal (copper) or elastic material. Since fatigue damage to both materials strongly affects the entire material, short pulsations not only provide sufficient energy, but also provide a longer life for the entire blanket by reducing fatigue damage per cycle. Another improvement to the blanket-containing discharge separation system described above is the device used to obtain short-term pulsations. Pulsations are often obtained by charging a capacitor to a selected voltage, switching on a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), and discharging the capacitor into a blanket. The present invention utilizes improvements over prior devices. First, use capacitor discharge. As the pulsating current flows, the second capacitor, which has been previously charged to a voltage referenced to the first capacitor, passes through the second SCR to the first SCR.
Connected to the cathode of CR. This creates a reverse current and current to be applied to the first SCR, almost instantaneously cutting it off. The second capacitor is much smaller than the first capacitor. This means that the total energy delivered to the blanket is significantly less than the total energy of the first capacitor. By the above measures 80% of the energy stored in the first capacitor is retained. By this measure the power consumption of the integrated discharge separation system is reduced. Another object of the invention is to have a long, narrow and thin (0.0
30'' to 0.080'' pressure), and all electrical connections between the electronic devices within the blanket and the blanket are made at one end. This improvement eliminates the need for connections between blankets and electronic devices.
The weight of the board is significantly reduced. Blankets are made as long, narrow strips. To cover a particular surface, multiple segments can be arranged side by side and extended with their long sides touching. After these segments are fixed to the surface to be protected,
A thin cover or coating layer of adhesive tape such as polyethylene, a conformal layer of metal foil or a spray coating of filler material is applied over the entire segment to form a smooth continuous outer surface. All segment connections are made at the narrow ends. The driver electronics are placed closest to the connection end. In the case of conventional rectangular segments, the harness connections must be located at increasing distances away from the electronic equipment that operates the segments. In the layout of the present invention,
The nest length is set to the shortest distance to minimize weight. Another object of the present invention is to provide a low ice shedding threshold voltage and a long blanket life. This is accomplished by controlling the local spring rate across the active area of the blanket segment. By nature, since the spring rate in the space between the blanket wall connector devices changes, the blanket deformation changes, and therefore the metal conductor deformation changes. The locally controlled spring rate provides non-uniform dynamic conductor deformation, resulting in non-uniform blanket deformation as the blanket is actuated. When the blanket is actuated and the upper and lower conductors repel each other, these movements are resisted by two restoring forces. Unbonded void (
Blanket wall conductor devices) do not contain air, so static pressure resists conductor separation. The elastic material (connector device) connecting the upper and lower blanket walls stretches to act as a spring and provide a restoring force. Specifically, it is desirable that a non-linear spring slope be generated between the upper and lower (outer) walls of the blanket. Initially this slope should be zero and all energy is converted into momentum of the outer wall (top) conductor and its mating wall. When the outer conductor separates from the inner conductor,
The repulsive force decreases because the distance increases and the current decreases as the discharge capacitor voltage decreases. When this phenomenon occurs, the increasing spring slope facilitates the return of the blanket to its rest position. As mentioned above, long blanket fatigue life requires minimal stress throughout the outer layer conductor. The required stress distribution is obtained by providing a periodically varying spring gradient in the longitudinal axis of the conductor. This periodic variation produces an S-shaped or sinusoidal deformation in the longitudinal dimension of the outer conductor. This is desirable for two reasons. First, the long, narrow S-shape of the conductor prevents lateral curvature and later fatigue (
This prevents excessive stress from being generated at the side edges of each longitudinal conductor if lateral curvature were to occur. Second, the ripple effect on the surface of the blanket promotes the breakdown of the ice-blanket connection. A preferred means of implementing the above behavior is to bond the top (outer) wall of the blanket to the bottom (outer) wall using an intermediate layer of elastic material placed between the top and bottom walls. . This intermediate layer is connected to the top and bottom walls through offset or staggered holes in two high melting point thermal plastic insulators. Two important functions are achieved by using interlayers that are alternately connected to the inner and outer walls. When the conductors are separated, the intermediate layer is stretched for bonding through holes in the top and bottom walls. This spring action applies a non-uniform force (from hole to hole) to the conductor. A first set of holes in a first conductor connects from the bottom wall to the intermediate layer. The second set of holes in the second insulator are offset from the first set of holes so that the top wall and the intermediate layer are connected. As the top conductor begins to separate from the bottom conductor, it creates a maximum restoring force in the interlayer connection. This periodically varying restoring force produces the required S-shaped deformation in the outer conductor. Apparatus that facilitates certain features of the invention include first and second
a flexible blanket having an outer wall; two separable electrical conductor devices wrapped in at least two of the blankets, the conductor devices having a first position defining a rest position and a second position defining an energized position; and a connecting device disposed within the blanket for connecting first and second walls to the intermediate layer at a distance apart, the intermediate layer having a position between the conductor devices and the conductor device; The devices separate in a predetermined pattern by control of the connecting device in response to a repulsive force generated by a magnetic field when the conductor device is energized with an electric current. A method for dislodging a solid or brittle material bound to a surface is to suddenly apply a force of sufficient magnitude to break the bond between the material and the surface and hold this force for 10 to 80 microseconds. It is. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0006]

Embodiments Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The discharge separator 11 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 has a blanket 12 made of thermoplastic material such as polyurethane, polyethylene and butadiene, with elongated ribbon-like conductor devices 13 and 14. is surrounding. The conductor arrangements 13 and 14 include a ribbon section 16 with an intermediate space 17, the top conductor arrangement 13 being aligned with the bottom conductor arrangement 14. As shown in FIG. 4, each conductor device 13 and 14 includes a stack of flat continuous metal ribbons 18 and 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the number of ribbons 18 and 19 is 3 and the thickness is between 0.001 inch (0.025 mm) and 0.00 mm.
010 inches (0.25 mm). Although the ribbon in this example is made of copper, other suitable electrical conductors may be used. Ribbon stacks 18 and 19 may be of single layer or multilayer construction. The ribbons of each stack are connected as shown at 20 (FIG. 1) and include tab portions 21 in which spot electrical connection connectors 22 are formed to make electrical connections between the top conductor device 13 and the bottom conductor device 14. be exposed. Top conductor device 1
3 is connected to a positive lead wire 23, and the bottom conductor device 14 is connected to a negative lead wire 24. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6,
The polyurethane of the blanket 12 is connected to the conductor devices 13 and 14.
A first outer wall 26, a second outer wall 27, and an intermediate layer 28 are formed by surrounding the first outer wall 26, the second outer wall 27, and the middle layer 28. The main bodies of the conductor devices 13 and 14 further include:
They are separated by an insulating device forming two layers 29 and 30 of high melting point thermal plastic material such as Teflon (tetrafluoroethylene). Blanket 12 is preferably made of a thermoplastic material having a melting point lower than that of the insulator. The insulating layers 29 and 31 have approximately the same area as the area occupied by the conductor devices 13 and 14. Insulating layer 2
A plurality of holes 32 are formed in the insulating layer 9 , and a plurality of holes 33 are formed in the insulating layer 31 . The holes 32 and 33 are offset from each other along the longitudinal axis of the blanket 12 and are located within the spaces or gaps 17 between the ribbon stacks, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The above arrangement of the holes in the insulating layers 29 and 31 makes it possible to construct a coupling device between the first outer wall 26 and the intermediate layer 28 and between the second outer wall 27 and the intermediate layer 28. This coupling device is a column or post 34
and 36. The above connection is accomplished by controlled heating and melting of the thermoplastic resin of the blanket 12, with the molten resin flowing into the respective holes 32 and 33, connecting the outer walls to the intermediate layer as described above. The high melting point electrical and thermal insulation layers 29 and 31 prevent welding between the outer wall and the intermediate layer except at the location of the holes. The first outer wall 26 is thus connected to the intermediate layer 28 by the post 34;
The second outer wall 27 is connected to the intermediate layer 28 by posts 36, as shown in the partial cross-sections of FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5 the blanket segment is shown in a resting position secured to a surface S such as an aircraft wing, with the second outer wall 27
is in contact with the surface S, and the first outer wall 26 is exposed to the outside air W. Periodically energizing conductor devices 13 and 14 causes them to repel each other through control of posts 34 and 36. Due to the inherent elasticity (elastic memory) of the thermoplastic material forming the posts, the posts elongate and provide a restoring force that returns the blanket to its rest position when the conductor arrangement is deenergized. The restoring force described above is further enhanced when the blanket is biased by static pressure against the vacuum created within the post or cavity 37. Therefore, when the conductor devices 13 and 14 are energized, the outer conductor device 13 assumes an S-shape (FIG. 6) and the accumulated solid or brittle material such as ice is crushed and the connections between the ice are broken and the ice is It is dissipated by the action of gravity and the sweeping airflow over the wall 26. The blanket device of the present invention can be of any desired length;
Various shapes of conductor devices, suitable conductor materials and blanket materials can be used as long as the operation of the thermal and electrical isolation devices (29 and 31) provides separation of the blanket walls as described above. The thickness of the composite blanket is 0.030'' (
0.76 mm) to 0.080'' (2.04 mm) provides good operation. As shown in Figure 7, the elongated shape of blanket B minimizes electrical equipment requirements and allows for short spans between the control unit and the blanket pattern.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a typical energizing circuit for a blanket. Further advantages and various applications of the blanket principle of the invention are as follows: 1. Use of multiple emission blanket layers to transfer sufficient momentum to the solid object. This development could replace the pyrotechnic fuses currently used to energize wing missiles. 2. Use of blankets as composite components in liquid-phase heat exchangers, such as those used in "peak shaving" to minimize peak electrical loads in large air conditioning systems. Such systems generally freeze water when not in use and thaw it during peak use. The blanket keeps the refrigerator coils ice-free for efficient operation. 3. Use of impulsive power to crush coal along existing fault lines. 4. 5. Generates shock waves within the pipeline to kill microorganisms that require chemical treatment for destruction.5. Use of an impact force to create a pressure pulse in front of an asymmetric orifice to generate flow in one direction. 6. Use of impact force to generate atomization force used in various coatings.

[0008]

The present invention provides a discharge device and method that separates solid, brittle materials such as ice from low-pressure electrical discharge devices, while having a long operating life.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical exclusion blanket of the present invention.

2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the blanket of FIG. 1 showing the distribution of holes in the electrical-thermal insulation device; FIG.

[Fig. 3] Vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 1 with arrow 3-
The distribution of the conductor device viewed in three directions is shown.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows the blanket at rest in an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of a portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but in a biased state of the blanket;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a preferred arrangement of multiple blankets and control boxes for electrical equipment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a typical circuit for energizing the blanket.

[Explanation of symbols]

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A flexible blanket having first and second outer walls; a first position defining a resting state; and a second position defining a biased state; at least two separable electrical conductor devices, an intermediate layer sandwiched between the conductor devices, and provided within the blanket for connecting the first and second walls to the intermediate layer spaced apart. an elastic coupling device, wherein the conductor device is separated according to a predetermined pattern under the control of the conductor device in response to a repulsive force generated by a magnetic field generated when the conductor device is energized by an electric current. An electrical exclusion type separation device that is characterized by the following: 2. The separation device of claim 1, wherein the first and second sidewalls, intermediate layer and coupling device are made of thermoplastic polymer. 3. A first connecting device connects the first outer wall to the intermediate layer, a second connecting device connects the second outer wall to the intermediate layer, and both connections to the intermediate layer are on opposite sides of the intermediate layer. 2. A separation device according to claim 1. 4. The blanket is elongated, and the first and second outer walls are respectively connected to the intermediate layer by a plurality of first and second connecting devices spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, and the first and second connecting devices are connected to the intermediate layer. The separating device according to claim 3, which projects on both sides. 5. The separation device of claim 4, wherein the connection between the first outer wall and the intermediate layer is longitudinally offset from the connection between the second outer wall and the intermediate layer. 6. The isolation device according to claim 1, wherein an isolation device is arranged between each conductor device and the intermediate layer. 7. The insulation device is a thermal and electrical insulator made of a thermoplastic polymer having a melting point higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer forming the blanket, interconnection device, and intermediate layer. Separation device according to claim 6. 8. A separation device according to claim 6, wherein the resilient coupling device projects through the insulation device. 9. Each coupling device includes at least one elongated ribbon portion defining elongated ribbon portions separated by an intervening elongated gap.
Claim 1 limiting the ribbon pattern to two connected flat ribbons.
Separation device as described in. 10. The separation device of claim 1, wherein coupling devices are spaced apart along the ribbon portion and located within the interstitial gap. 11. The separation device of claim 1, wherein the coupling device has elastic memory so as to provide a restoring force to return the conductor device to its rest position when deenergized. 12. The blanket is formed with a peripheral seal such that a plurality of cavities are formed between one of the first and second outer walls and the intermediate layer when the conductor device is moved from a resting state to an energized state. 12. Separation device according to claim 11, wherein the cavities are formed to create a vacuum to increase the restoring force of the coupling device. 13. Impacting the material with a force of sufficient magnitude to break the adhesion between the material and the surface, and maintaining said force for 10 to 80 microseconds. A solid or brittle substance removal method that removes solids or brittle substances attached to a characteristic surface. 14. The abatement method according to claim 13, wherein said step is carried out under high velocity air flow. 15. The method of exclusion according to claim 13, wherein said force is applied between the ice and the surface. 16. The method of exclusion according to claim 13, wherein said force is generated electro-magnetically. 17. Charging the first and second capacitors to a predetermined voltage, discharging the first capacitor to supply current to the conductive device, and simultaneously applying the current to a rectifier to reduce the current. A conductor device of an electricity exclusion device characterized in that it includes the steps of reversing the voltage and using the reversed current and voltage to interrupt the current to the conductor device in a time on the order of 50 microseconds. A method of periodically pulsating motion. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second capacitor is circuit-connected to the cathode of the first capacitor. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein a first rectifier is used to activate the first capacitor and a second rectifier in circuit connection with the first rectifier is used to interrupt the current in the conductor device.