METHOD OF SEALING-UP DEFECTS IN ENVELOPES OF OBJECTS AND DEVICE FOR REALIZATION OF THIS METHOD (VERSIONS) Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: mechanical engineering; repair of defects in articles revealed visually or during testing them for tightness under internal pressure, for example, parts of pneumatic equipment mounted on space object. SUBSTANCE: method includes forming rigging in area of defect, filling this area with sealant through filler hole in rigging; inner surface of rigging is made closed and is coated with nonwettable composition; sealant is subjected to degassing before using it. Device used for realization of this method has cover with seal, hold-down made in form of beam with central adjusting screw; cover is provided with handle and longitudinal slot; beam has longitudinal slot perpendicular to slot of cover; adjusting screw is passed through floating nut mounted in slot of beam; ends of beam are passed through two uprights equipped with collets which are secured on projecting structural members of space object and are tightened-up by means of nuts; cover has hole for pouring the sealant. Device is also provided with spring-loaded hold-down having central hole and handle with hole for pouring the sealant; axis of this hole coincides with axis of hole in hold-down. The invention ensure sealing-up of defects (extended defects inclusive) in space object envelopes during flight, i.e. in case of weightlessness and pressure differential from 5 to 20 mm Hg inside object to space vacuum of 10^-5 mm Hg. Repair may be performed on side of lower pressure and in vacuum; after repair, space object envelope shall withstand pressurization to normal pressure and hold this pressure within required period of time. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency and reliability. 4 cl, 3 dwg