Molecularly oriented tubular components having a controlled coefficient of thermal expansion

摘要

The present invention is based upon the discovery that ordered polymers, such as PBzT, can be readily formed into tubular structures which retain a biaxial orientation imparted thereto during processing, and that these rigid, high-stiffness tubular components can exhibit near zero coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Zero CTE materials are not adversely affected by vast swings in temperature, e.g., from very hot to very cold in short periods of time, nor are they adversely affected by long term exposure to either temperature extreme. The tubular components of the present invention thus represent a revolutionary advance in space based hardware, as the extreme temperatures experienced there will not affect rigidity of structures built using these components.