US2577120A - Honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4," 1951 E. E. FRANZ 2,577,120

' HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE Filed April 6, 1946 I INVENTO/P 5E. FRANZ arm/PM Patented Dec. 4, 1951 HONEYCOIVLB STRUCTURE Erwin E. Franz, Cranford, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 6, 1946, Serial No. 660,275

This invention relates to honeycomb structures and more particularly to self rigid honeycomb structures composed of mutually interlocking, mutually supporting units assembled together to be rigid as a whole in both torsion and shear.

There are many kinds of multicellular racks, containers, article array supports, heat exchange assemblies, and other analogous structures which are in essence honeycomb-like arrangements of laterally opposed cell-like chambers or recesses or laterally opposed, parallel, tube-like passageways. As illustrative of two widely differing yet principally similar structures of the kind here under consideration, there may be instanced such a heat exchanging apparatus as the honeycomblike main element of an automobile radiator, and the honeycomb-like rack employed in connection with some multi-conductor telephone cables to hold a large array of externally similar electrical devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, reliable, inexpensive honeycomb structure assembled from substantially identically similar unit members, and self rigid and self supporting as a whole, particularly against both torsion and shear.

With the above and other objects in view the invention may be illustratively embodied in a unitary element to be interlocked with similar elements in a self rigid honeycomb-like assembly, the said element being a tube having on the outer surface thereof a plurality of longitudinal dovetail members so proportioned and disposed that such element may be interlocked by interfitted complementary dovetails with each of two or more similar elements to form a honeycomb assembly.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures, and in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a part of a honeycomb structure constructed in accordance with invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged detail view of a portion of the showing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of part of a differently arranged honeycomb assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view of part of a heat exchanging honeycomb.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-71) Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is a honeycomb rack particularly adapted to receive and retain individually in precisely fixed position relatively to each other, a large array of externally identically similar, cylindrical metal cans 10, each containing an electrical device having terminals II, the particular nature of the device being irrelevant here except in so far as it is provided also on its side with an integral positioning boss I 2 whose purpose will appear hereinafter.

The honeycomb assembly itself is made up of as many units 20 as there are cans I0 to be housed, but only four such units 20 are shown in Fig. 1 as this number is suiiicient to illustrate the principles of structure involved. Also, only one can In is shown to avoid unnecessary and confusing complexity in the drawings.

A single unit 20 is a tubular, generally cylindrical element,.preferably though not necessarily open at both ends but necessarily open at one end. The exterior surface is formed with four pairs of longitudinal ribs. Consider, for example, the unit 20 at the lower left of the four units '20 shown in Fig. 1. Two external ribs 2| are formed to present together a male dovetail running longitudinally along the top of the unit. Two other external ribs 22, diametrically opposite the ribs 2! are formed to present a female dovetail to match the male dovetail 2|. At the ends of the diameter half way between these is a like pair of identically similar dovetails IN and I22.

Units 20 thus constructed can be interfitted together in a rectangular rank and file array, each with a dovetailed interlock with every immediately neighboring unit. Because of the nature of this dovetailed interlocking, no relative motion of any two units is possible. There can be no shear-like shift of any rank or file of units along a neighboring rank or file; nor can the assembly become skewed from its overall planeness by any twisting slip of units on each other. The assembly so formed is completely self rigid within the strength of its material.

As shown in Fig. 4, similar units 220, havin each three dovetail pairs 2| and 22 on diameters 120 apart, can be put together in a similar assembly of units in triangular instead of rectangular of four units 320 is much greater in cross sectional area and the inner chamber of each unit much less in Fig. 5 than in Fig. 1. By suitably proportioning the fiutes 324 the ratio of total cross section of unit interiors to total cross section of inter unit spaces may be given almost any desired value. Thus, a structure as shown in Fig. 5 might be used as an efiicient and remarkably light weight and. rigid, self sustaining heat exchanger; e. g., a heating system radiator, an automobile radiator, a cooling unit for the heat transfer fluid of a refrigerating apparatus, or the like generally.

While a structure as described is self rigid and needs no extraneous bracing or supporting means, 11-, may also be attached, detachably as shown in Fig. 1, or permanently in similar fashion, if desired, to any rigid support, especially when being assembled on a frame or the like with other apparatus units of like or different nature. As indicated in Fig. 1, the inter unit spaces 25 provide convenient opportunity for the passage of supportin or clamping means 26 by which to attach the assembly to any desired support such, for example, as the panel 21 in Figs. 1 and 2.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the units may also be provided with internal longitudinal grooves 28 formed to have a sliding fit with the positioning boss l2 of a can 10. With a plurality of such grooves in each unit 20 in predetermined spacing and position relatively to the exterior dovetails and to each other, a can may be inserted into and securely held in a unit 20 in any desired predetermined orientation therein and relatively to neighboring cans. Considering such a feature in connection with the above discussed peculiarity of the arrangement of Fig. 5, it, will be evident that such tubes or units can be variously modified for specific purposes without affecting the rigidly self supporting interlock of the dovetails as described.

What is claimed is:

' 1. A honeycomb assembly of at .least three mutually parallel tubular elements grouped together so as to be capable of encompassment by the smallest possible imaginary cylinder, said assembly being adapted to hold in accurate predetermined relation to each other a plurality ofarticles generally formed externally to fit individually within individual tubular elements of the assemby and each formed externally with a protruding boss, each tubular element having on the outer surface thereof a, plurality of more than three longitudinal dovetail members, and r having on its inner surface a longitudinal groove adapted to closely, slidingly receive the protruding boss of an article placed in the element, said dovetail members being so proportioned and disposed that each tubular element may be interlocked by interfitted complementary dovetails with each adjacent element of the group at their mutual points of contact.

2. A unitary element to be interlocked with similar elements in a self-rigid honeycomb-like assembly, the said element being a tube having on the outer surface thereof a plurality of more than three longitudinal dovetail members, half of the members each comprisin a first pair of longitudinal tongues projecting from the element surface angularly away from each other and the other half of the members each comprising a second pair of longitudinal tongues projecting from the portion of the element surface diametrically opposite the location of a first pair, said second pair projecting angularly toward each other and being shaped to receive between them in close fittin relation a first pair of tongues from another element.

3. A honeycomb assembly of at least three mutually parallel tubular elements grouped together so as to be capable of encompassment by the smallest possible imaginary cylinder, said assembly being adapted to hold in accurate predetermined relation to each other a plurality of articles generally formed externally to fit individually within individual tubular elements of the assembly and each formed externally with a protruding boss, each tubular element having on its inner surface a longitudinal groove adapted to closely, slidingly receive the protruding boss of an article placed in the element and having on the outer surface thereof a plurality of more than three longitudinal dovetail members, half of the members each comprising a first pair of longitudinal tongues projecting from the element surface angularly away from each other and the other half of the members each comprising a, second pair of longitudinal tongues projecting from the portion of the element surface diametrically opposite the location of a first pair, said second pair projecting angularly toward each other and being shaped to receive between them in close fitting relation a first pair of tongues from another element.

ERWIN E. FRANZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,019,227 Desoer Mar. 5, 1912 1,283,482 Durkee Nov. 5, 1918 1,886,109 Lenfant Nov. 1, 1932 1,975,046 Larkin Sept. 25, 1934 2,050,993 Bush Aug. 11, 1936 2,101,285 Stevens Dec. 7, 1937 2,257,569 McCarthy Sept. 30, 1941 2,409,484 Gauthier Oct. 15, 1941 2,462,956 Gross Mar. 1, 1949'

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