Granted Patent B2

US 12,364,947 · App. 17/532,278 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Inventors: William Jackson (Tucson, AZ); Raymond S. Lickson (Tucson, AZ)

Assignee: Raytheon Company

B01D53/0446B01D53/261B01D2257/80F42C99/00

Abstract

Claims (26)

1. An aeration assembly, comprising:

an aeration rod extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end and having a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending along the longitudinal axis from the first end at least partially to the second end around at least a portion of a circumference of the aeration rod; and

an air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod at least along the plurality of longitudinal grooves;

wherein the plurality of longitudinal grooves are configured to distribute air from the first end of the aeration rod to the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod.

2. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing retaining the air-activated material and at least partially enclosing the aeration rod.

3. The aeration assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the housing includes an opening at a first end of the housing and the aeration rod extends from the opening of the housing at least partially to a second end of the housing, opposite the first end of the housing such that air entering the opening of the housing distributes along the longitudinal grooves of the aeration rod to the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod inside the housing.

4. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal grooves extend along the longitudinal axis from the first end to the second end of the aeration rod.

5. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal grooves are unequally spaced around the circumference of the aeration rod.

6. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal grooves are equally spaced around the circumference of the aeration rod.

7. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the air-activated material includes a plurality of discrete spheres of air-activated material.

8. The aeration assembly according to claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of longitudinal grooves has a width extending in a circumferential direction of the aeration rod that is less than a diameter of each of the plurality of discrete spheres of the air-activated material.

9. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of longitudinal grooves has a tapered radial cross-section.

10. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of longitudinal grooves has a rectangular radial cross-section.

11. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of longitudinal grooves has a square radial cross-section.

12. The aeration assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a helical groove helically extending around the circumference of the aeration rod along the longitudinal axis from the first end of the aeration rod at least partially to the second end of the aeration rod, wherein the helical groove is configured to distribute air from the first end of the aeration rod to the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod.

13. The aeration assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the helical groove includes a thread angle in the range of 50 degrees to 70 degrees.

14. The aeration assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the helical groove includes a thread pitch in the range of 80 threads per inch to 1.25 threads per inch.

15. A method of distributing air to an air-activated material, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an aeration rod extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end and including a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending along the longitudinal axis from the first end at least partially to the second end around at least a portion of a circumference of the aeration rod;

disposing an air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod at least along the plurality of longitudinal grooves; and

distributing air from the first end of the aeration rod along the plurality of longitudinal grooves of the aeration rod to the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of providing the aeration rod includes disposing the aeration rod in a housing and wherein the step of disposing the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod includes at least partially filling the housing with the air-activated material.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the aeration rod further includes a helical groove helically extending around the circumference of the aeration rod along the longitudinal axis from the first end of the aeration rod at least partially to the second end of the aeration rod, the method further comprising the step of distributing air from the first end of the aeration rod along the helical groove of the aeration rod to the air-activated material adjacent the aeration rod.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein providing the aeration rod includes fabricating the plurality of longitudinal grooves extending along the longitudinal axis from the first end at least partially to the second end around at least a portion of a circumference of the aeration rod.

19. The method according to claim 18 , further including fabricating the helical groove helically extending around the circumference of the aeration rod along the longitudinal axis from the first end of the aeration rod at least partially to the second end of the aeration rod.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein at least one of the fabricating the plurality of longitudinal grooves and the fabricating the helical groove includes at least one of injection molding, extruding, standard machining, and additive manufacturing.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (16)