A thermally releasable fastening element, in particular for fastening a door actuator, includes a base body, which is designed to be inserted into a recess or a number of aligned recesses, a core inserted into the base body, at least partially made of a shape memory material, wherein the base body has an unstable area, which is stabilized by the core, and wherein the core is designed to withdraw at least partially from the unstable area upon thermal activation of the shape memory material.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip (FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip (FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip (FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip (FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.

Space system comprising a structure formed by structure components, an on-board equipment carried by the structure, and a passive device designed to facilitate demise of the space system during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The passive device comprises connecting members designed to stably connect the structure components. The connecting members comprise at least a portion made of a primer material with characteristics such as to decay at re-entry altitudes higher than those at which the current connecting members melt so as to make unstable the connection created by the connecting members to such an extent as to early triggering demise of the structure of the space system during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

A fastening device for use in a spacecraft comprises a shaft and a head, which is connected by a first solder to the shaft. The first solder comprises a material of which the melting point is lower than the temperature acting on the fastening device on re-entry of a spacecraft equipped with fastening device into the earth's atmosphere.

A system including mold pieces coupled together with breakaway bolts or other fasteners for facilitating the fabrication of composite parts for, e.g., aerospace vehicles. First and second mold pieces are coupled together to form a mold within which the composite part is fabricated from a composite material. A coefficient of thermal expansion of the mold pieces is higher than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the composite part. One or more breakaway fasteners couple together the mold pieces while the mold pieces and the composite material are heated, and then purposefully break and thereby decouple the mold pieces and release the composite part when the mold pieces are cooled. The fasteners may be constructed from polytetrafluoroethylene, may include a structural weakness to ensure breakage, may break into two or more pieces when under a tension or a sheering force, or may include threads that sheer when under a tension force.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip

(FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.

A thermally stabilized fastener system and method is disclosed. The disclosed system/method integrates a fastener (FAS) incorporating a faster retention head (FRH), fastener retention body (FRB), and fastener retention tip (FRT) to couple a mechanical member stack (MMS) in a thermally stabilized fashion using a fastener retention receiver (FRR). The MMS includes a temperature compensating member (TCM), a first retention member (FRM), and an optional second retention member (SRM). The TCM is constructed using a tailored thermal expansion coefficient (TTC) that permits the TCM to compensate for the thermal expansion characteristics of the FAS, FRM, and SRM such that the force applied by the FRH and FRR portions of the FAS to the MMS is tailored to a specific temperature force profile (TFP) over changes in MMS/FAS temperature. The TCM may be selected with a TTC to achieve a uniform TFP over changes in MMS/FAS temperature.