Fixed element rotor structures

Claim 2

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device, hub means for holding the members in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the device, the axis of rotation of the device being coincident with the longitudinal axis of said hub means, the hub means being comprised of disc-like layers of material, adjacent layers having confronting semi-cylindrical depressions in the upper and lower faces thereof, the confronting semicylindrical depressions cooperating to receive portions of each of the members within the hub means and said layers clamping said portions of said members in said depressions.

Claim 3

The energy storage device of claim 1 wherein the adjacent lAyers are joined along respective upper and lower faces.

Claim 4

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, hub means for holding the members in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the device, the axis of rotation of the device being coincident with the longitudinal axis of said hub means and the longitudinal axes of the members being aligned along radii emanating from points along the axis of rotation, the members being disposed around the full periphery of the hub means, the hub means being comprised of disc-like layers of material, adjacent layers having confronting semi-cylindrical depressions in the upper and lower faces thereof, the confronting semi-cylindrical depressions cooperating to receive portions of each of the members within the hub means and said layers clamping said portions of said members in said depressions.

Claim 5

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, hub means for holding the members in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the device, the axis of rotation of the device being coincident with the longitudinal axis of said hub means and the longitudinal axes of the members being aligned along radii emanating from points along the axis of rotation, the members being disposed around the full periphery of the hub means, the hub means being comprised of disc-like layers of material, adjacent layers having confronting semi-cylindrical depressions in the upper and lower faces thereof, the confronting semi-cylindrical depressions cooperating to receive portions of each of the members within the hub means and said layers clamping said portions of said members in said depressions.

Claim 6

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device, and hub means comprising layers of parallel planar spiral wound filaments disposed in alternation with respect to parallel layers of radially extending filament-like members.

Claim 7

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device, and hub means comprising layers of parallel planar spiral wound filaments disposed in alternation with respect to parallel layers of radially extending filament-like members.

Claim 8

The energy storage device of claim 4 wherein the members are disposed around the full periphery of the hub means.

Claim 9

The energy storage device of claim 4 and further comprising matrix means disposed between the sheets and the members to bond said sheets and members into a unitary structure.

Claim 10

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising; a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device; hub means having an axial channel extending therethrough, the longitudinal axis of said channel being coincident with the axis of rotation of the device, the hub means further having aligned bearings in the walls of the axial channel, a shaft extending through the axial channel, the longitudinal axis of the shaft being disposed coincident with the axis of rotation of the device, the shaft having a transverse opening formed therein and further having aligned bearings formed in the walls of said transverse opening, and a cruciform member disposed within the transverse opening and having pairs of gimbal pins, one pair of said pins being rotatably received within the bearings in the shaft and the other pair of said pins, the axes of which are disposed at right angles to the axes of the first-mentioned pair of pins, being rotatably received within the aligned bearings in the hub means, thereby allowing said hub means to tilt relative to the shaft.

Claim 11

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising; a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device; hub means having an axial channel extending therethrough, the longitudinal axis of said channel being coincident with the axis of rotation of the device, the hub means further having aligned bearings in the walls of the axial channel, a shaft extending through the axial channel, the longitudinal axis of the shaft being disposed coincident with the axis of rotation of the device, the shaft having a transverse opening formed therein and further having aligned bearings formed in the walls of said transverse opening, and a cruciform member disposed within the transverse opening and having pairs of gimbal pins, one pair of said pins being rotatably received within the bearings in the shaft and the other pair of said pins, the axes of which are disposed at right angles to the axes of the first-mentioned pair of pins, being rotatably received within the aligned bearings in the hub means, thereby allowing said hub means to tilt relative to the shaft.

Claim 12

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising, a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axes of rotation of the device, and hub means comprising arcuate side walls, the side walls being curved toward each other and toward the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 13

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising, a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axes of rotation of the device, and hub means comprising arcuate side walls, the side walls being curved toward each other and toward the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 14

The energy storage device of claim 8 wherein the filament-like members are held by the hub means in fixed, predetermined positions, portions of the members within said hub means being arcuate.

Claim 15

The energy storage device of claim 9 wherein the portions of the members extending externally of the hub means are straight and aligned along radii emanating from the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 16

The energy storage device of claim 9, wherein the radius of curvature of the fixed arcuate portion of each of the members is dependent upon the distance of said member from a plane taken through the longitudinal axis of the device and perpendicular to the transverse axis thereof, the radius of curvature of each said member being determined according to the relationship: where: R radius of curvature of a given member; r radius of the hub means; and D distance from the given member to the said plane.

Claim 17

The energy storage device of claim 9 and further comprising matrix means for maintaining the members in fixed positions within the hub means.

Claim 18

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising, a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device, and hub means for holding portions of the filament-like members, the members disposed in a plane through the longitudinal axis of the device and perpendicular to the transverse axis thereof being straight and the members on either side of said plane having portions within the hub fixed in predetermined arcuate configurations.

Claim 19

An energy storage device having an axis of rotation extending transversely therethrough, comprising, a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device, and hub means for holding portions of the filament-like members, the members disposed in a plane through the longitudinal axis of the device and perpendicular to the transverse axis thereof being straight and the members on either side of said plane having portions within the hub fixed in predetermined arcuate configurations.

Claim 20

The energy storage device of claim 13 and further comprising matrix means for maintaining the members in fixed positions within the hub means.

Claim 21

The energy storage device of claim 13 wherein the portions of the members extending externally of the hub means are straight and are aligned along radii of the hub means.

Claim 22

The energy storage device of claim 13, wherein the radius of curvature of the fixed arcuate portion of each of the members is dependent on the distance of said member from the said plane, the radius of curvature of each said member being determined according to the relationship: where: R radius of curvature of a given member; r radius of the hub means; and D distance from the given member to the plane.

Claim 23

In an energy storage system, a rotatable shaft, and an energy storage structure having its midpoint mounted for tilting movement on the shaft and having an axis of rotation coincident with the axis of rotation of the shaft when the longitudinal axes of a cross-section taken through the structure is perpendicular to the shaft, said structure comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of major portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 24

In an energy storage system, a rotatable shaft, and an energy storage structure having its midpoint mounted for tilting movement on the shaft and having an axis of rotation coincident with the axis of rotation of the shaft when the longitudinal axes of a cross-section taken through the structure is perpendicular to the shaft, said structure comprising a plurality of anisotropic, filament-like members having maximum strength-to-density along their longitudinal axes, the longitudinal axes of major portions of said members extending radially from the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 25

The energy storage system of claim 17, and further comprising hub means having an axial channel extending therethrough, the hub means further having aligned bearings in the walls of the axial channel, the shaft extending through the axial channel and having a transverse opening formed therein and further having alined bearings formed in the walls of said transverse openings, and a cruciform member disposed within the transverse opening and having pairs of gimbal pins, one pair of said pins being rotatably received within the bearings in the shaft and the other pair of said pins, the axes of which are disposed at right angles to the axes of the first-mentioned pair of pins, being rotatably received within the aligned bearings in the hub means, thereby allowing said hub means to tilt relative to the shaft.

Claim 26

The energy storage system of claim 17, and further comprising hub means for holding the members in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the device.

Claim 27

The energy storage system of claim 19 wherein the members are disposed around the full periphery of the hub means.

Claim 28

The energy storage system of claim 20 wherein the hub means is formed with a plurality of radially dirEcted holes extending from the surface of said hub means inwardly toward the axis of rotation of the structure, each hole receiving therein a portion of one of said members.