Systems and methods of forming a skin for a composite structure and composite structures including the same
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B29C-070/30
B29C-070/02
B29C-070/56
B29C-070/34
B29C-065/00
출원번호
US-0886976
(2013-05-03)
등록번호
US-9211679
(2015-12-15)
발명자
/ 주소
Metschan, Stephen Lee
Phillips, Richard V.
Willden, Kurtis S.
출원인 / 주소
The Boeing Company
대리인 / 주소
DASCENZO Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
7
초록▼
Systems and methods of forming a skin for a composite structure and composite structures including the same. The systems and methods include operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly. The systems and methods further include
Systems and methods of forming a skin for a composite structure and composite structures including the same. The systems and methods include operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly. The systems and methods further include deforming the composite-substrate assembly by conforming the composite-substrate assembly to a non-planar pre-forming surface of a pre-forming mandrel to define a non-planar skin surface contour on the charge of composite material. The systems and methods further include maintaining the charge of composite material in tension in a direction that is parallel to an interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate during the deforming.
대표청구항▼
1. A method of defining a non-planar skin surface contour of a skin for a composite structure, the method comprising: operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly, wherein the charge of composite material includes a plurality o
1. A method of defining a non-planar skin surface contour of a skin for a composite structure, the method comprising: operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly, wherein the charge of composite material includes a plurality of stacked plies of composite material;deforming the composite-substrate assembly by conforming the composite-substrate assembly to a non-planar pre-forming surface of a pre-forming mandrel to define the non-planar skin surface contour;during the deforming, maintaining the charge of composite material in tension in a direction that is parallel to an interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate;applying a vacuum between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate; andcontrolling a maximum interfacial force that may be applied to the interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate without relative motion therebetween by adjusting the vacuum during the deforming. 2. A method of defining a non-planar skin surface contour of a skin for a composite structure, the method comprising: operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly, wherein the charge of composite material includes a plurality of stacked plies of composite material, wherein the flexible substrate is a double-walled panel that is defined by a first planar wall, a second planar wall, and a plurality of elongate webs that extends between the first planar wall and the second planar wall, and further wherein the first planar wall, the second planar wall, and the plurality of elongate webs together define a plurality of elongate channels;deforming the composite-substrate assembly by conforming the composite-substrate assembly to a non-planar pre-forming surface of a pre-forming mandrel to define the non-planar skin surface contour; andduring the deforming, maintaining the charge of composite material in tension in a direction that is parallel to an interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein, during the operatively attaching, the flexible substrate defines an undeformed conformation, and further wherein, subsequent to the deforming, the flexible substrate defines a deformed conformation that is different from the undeformed conformation. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the undeformed conformation includes a planar conformation. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the deforming includes contouring a surface of the charge of composite material from an initial contour to the non-planar skin surface contour, wherein the initial contour is different from the non-planar skin surface contour. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the deforming includes applying a deformation force to the composite-substrate assembly, wherein the deformation force is at least one of (i) a gravitational force, (ii) a mechanically applied force, (iii) a pressure force, (iv) a pneumatic force, (v) a hydraulic force, and (vi) a vacuum force. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the deforming further includes regulating at least one of (i) a rate of the deforming, (ii) a length of time during which the deforming occurs, and (iii) a magnitude of a deformation force that is applied to the composite-substrate assembly during the deforming. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the regulating includes avoiding separation of the charge of composite material from the flexible substrate during the deforming. 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-planar pre-forming surface defines a convex surface contour, wherein the deforming includes conforming a surface of the composite-substrate assembly to the convex surface contour, and further wherein the maintaining includes locating the flexible substrate between the pre-forming mandrel and the charge of composite material during the deforming. 10. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-planar pre-forming surface defines a concave surface contour, wherein the deforming includes conforming a surface of the composite-substrate assembly to the concave surface contour, and further wherein the maintaining includes locating the charge of composite material between the flexible substrate and the pre-forming mandrel during the deforming. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further includes controlling a maximum interfacial force that may be applied to the interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate without relative motion therebetween. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method includes applying a vacuum between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate, and further wherein the controlling includes adjusting the vacuum during the deforming. 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further includes heating the charge of composite material at least one of (i) during the deforming, (ii) to accelerate the deforming, and (iii) to produce the deforming. 14. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further includes vacuum compacting the charge of composite material on the flexible substrate. 15. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further includes controlling a maximum interfacial force that may be applied to the interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate without relative motion therebetween by applying a vacuum between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate and adjusting the vacuum during the deforming, wherein the applying the vacuum includes applying the vacuum with a vacuum manifold that is at least partially defined by the plurality of elongate channels of the double-walled panel. 16. The method of claim 2, wherein the method includes placing a first portion of the composite-substrate assembly in tension, via the deforming, in the direction that is parallel to the interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate and also placing a second portion of the composite-substrate assembly in compression, via the deforming, in the direction that is parallel to the interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate, wherein the first portion of the composite-substrate assembly and the second portion of the composite-substrate assembly meet at a tension-compression crossover point of the composite-substrate assembly, and further wherein the maintaining the charge of composite material in tension includes maintaining the tension-compression crossover point of the composite-substrate assembly within the flexible substrate. 17. A method of forming a composite structure, the method comprising: locating a plurality of stiffening elements within a plurality of stiffening element recesses of a layup mandrel that defines a non-planar layup mandrel surface contour;forming a non-planar skin by defining a non-planar skin surface contour on a surface of a charge of composite material to define a deformed charge of composite material, wherein the non-planar skin surface contour of the non-planar skin corresponds to the non-planar layup mandrel surface contour, and further wherein the forming includes:(i) operatively attaching the charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly, wherein the charge of composite material includes a plurality of stacked plies of composite material;(ii) deforming the composite-substrate assembly by conforming the composite-substrate assembly to a non-planar pre-forming surface of a pre-forming mandrel to define the non-planar skin surface contour;(iii) during the deforming, maintaining the charge of composite material in tension in a direction that is parallel to an interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate; and(iv) separating the deformed charge of composite material from the flexible substrate to define the non-planar skin;locating the non-planar skin on the layup mandrel to form a stiffened skin assembly, wherein the locating includes physically contacting the non-planar skin with the plurality of stiffening elements; andcuring the stiffened skin assembly to form the composite structure. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the deforming includes deforming the flexible substrate to a deformed conformation by conforming a surface of the flexible substrate to a non-planar layup surface, and further wherein the separating includes returning the flexible substrate to an undeformed conformation that is different from the deformed conformation. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further includes separating the composite-substrate assembly from the pre-forming mandrel. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the flexible substrate is a double-walled panel that is defined by a first planar wall, a second planar wall, and a plurality of elongate webs that extends between the first planar wall and the second planar wall, and further wherein the first planar wall, the second planar wall, and the plurality of elongate webs together define a plurality of elongate channels. 21. A method of defining a non-planar skin surface contour of a skin for a composite structure, the method comprising: operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define a composite-substrate assembly, wherein the charge of composite material includes a plurality of stacked plies of composite material;deforming the composite-substrate assembly by conforming the composite-substrate assembly to a non-planar pre-forming surface of a pre-forming mandrel to define the non-planar skin surface contour, wherein the non-planar pre-forming surface defines a concave surface contour, and further wherein the deforming includes conforming a surface of the composite-substrate assembly to the concave surface contour; andduring the deforming, maintaining the charge of composite material in tension in a direction that is parallel to an interface between the charge of composite material and the flexible substrate, wherein the maintaining includes locating the charge of composite material between the flexible substrate and the pre-forming mandrel during the deforming.
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