Composite Manufacturing Method

• US 20090145545A1
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Jones, Darrell D., Willden, Kurtis S., Brennan, Joseph D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,916,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/263
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/02 Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mouldcold vulcanisation B29C35/18 ; vulcanising tyres, presses therefor B29D30/0601
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1162 Single bevel to bevel joints, e.g. mitre joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1282 comprising at least one overlap joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1286 comprising at least one bevelled joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/4326 for making hollow articles or hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/435 Making large sheets by joining smaller ones or strips together
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/721 Fibre-reinforced materials B29C66/729 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7212 characterised by the composition of the fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/30 Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/38 Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns application heads for tyres B29D30/28
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/545 Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2277/00 Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as reinforcement
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2309/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3082 Fuselages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1002 with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1036 Bending of one piece blank and joining edges to form article
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1074 Separate cutting of separate sheets or webs

Abstract

A modular composite manufacturing method. An illustrative embodiment of the method includes providing a plurality of composite modules; inspecting the composite modules; providing a curing tool; and placing the composite modules on the curing tool.

Claims

1. A modular composite manufacturing method, comprising:

providing a plurality of composite modules;

inspecting said composite modules;

providing a curing tool; and

placing said composite modules on said curing tool.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising imparting a selected contour to each of said composite modules.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising cutting of said composite modules prior to said imparting a selected contour to each of said composite modules.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of composite modules comprises at least one ply.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising coupling adjacent ones of said plurality of composite modules to each other.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing successive ones of said plurality of composite modules on each other to form a plurality of plies.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said composite modules comprise ramped module edges disposed in overlapping relationship with respect to each other on said curing tool.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said curing tool comprises an outer mold line tool.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said curing tool comprises an inner mold line tool.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said composite modules includes any combination of a unidirectional carbon fiber prepreg, a carbon fiber fabric, fiberglass, a fiberglass fabric, poly (p-phenyleneterephtalamide) or a poly (p-phenyleneterephtalamide) fabric.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said inspecting said composite modules comprises providing an inspection scanner system and scanning said composite modules by operation of said inspection scanner system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said curing tool comprises a tool base, spaced-apart tool sides extending from said tool base and a generally concave module placement surface provided in said tool sides and said tool base and wherein said placing said composite modules on said curing tool comprises placing said composite modules on said module placement surface.

13. An aircraft fabricated by the method of claim 1.

14. A method of manufacturing a composite structure, the method comprising:

providing a tool;

providing a plurality of modules; and

placing the modules on the tool such that;

each one of the modules is adjacent to at least another one of the modules; and

adjacent modules are bondable together to form a composite structure.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said placing step comprises placing more than one module on the tool at substantially the same time.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the placing step comprises placing the modules on the tool in a sequential manner, the method further comprising:

performing a post-placement procedure on one of the modules that has been placed on the tool while a subsequent module is being placed on the tool.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said performing step includes inspecting one of the modules that has been placed on the tool.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said performing step includes working on a joint formed between adjacent modules.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising curing the composite structure.

20. A method of fabricating a composite structure, the method comprising:

preparing a module for lay up on a tool; and

placing on the tool a module that has already been prepared according to said preparing step;

said preparing and laying up steps being performable at substantially the same time.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said placing step comprises placing a plurality of the modules on the tool such that at least two of the modules are placeable on the tool at substantially the same time.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said placing step comprises placing a plurality of the modules on the curing tool in a sequential manner, the method further comprising:

performing a post-placement procedure on at least one of the modules that has been placed on the tool while a subsequent module is being placed on the tool;

said post-placement procedure comprises an inspection procedure;

wherein said performing step and said step of placing a subsequent module are performable at substantially the same time.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said performing step includes working on a joint formed between adjacently placed modules.

24. A method of manufacturing a composite structure utilizing a plurality of prefabricated modules, the method comprising:

preparing one of the modules for lay up;

laying up a prepared one of the modules; and

carrying out a post-lay up procedure on one of the laid up modules;

wherein said preparing, laying up, and carrying out steps are performable at substantially the same time.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

laying up a plurality of modules such that at least two of the modules are laid up at substantially the same time or in a sequential manner; and

performing an inspection procedure on at least one of the plurality of modules that has been laid up or a joining procedure between adjacently laid up modules while a subsequent module is being laid up wherein said performing step and said step of laying up a subsequent module are performed at substantially the same time.