DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE FUSELAGE SHELL FOR AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20130000815A1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Premium Aerotec GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Premium Aerotec GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Barlag, Carsten, Steiger, Christian, Deschauer, Niels
• Granted Patent: US 8,911,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/64
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/307 Mould plates mounted on frames; Mounting the mould plates; Frame constructions therefor shaping plates for making moulds B29C33/3842; thin walled moulds B29C33/0011
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/485 cores or mandrels collapsible mandrels for shaping tube ends B29C57/02; collapsible mandrels for winding and joining B29C53/824
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/32 on a rotating mould, former or core
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/443 and impregnating by vacuum or injection
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/001 Producing wall or panel-like structures, e.g. for hulls, fuselages, or buildings articles with hollow walls B29D24/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0014 provided with ridges or ribs, e.g. joined ribs
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3082 Fuselages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A device and a method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced fuselage shell for an aircraft, which fuselage shell for the purpose of reinforcement comprises several stringers that are spaced apart from each other, wherein the device includes a base frame comprising several supporting walls of different lengths for forming a curved mounting surface for the fuselage shell to be manufactured, wherein several actuators that extend radially outwards and that are longitudinally adjustable are affixed to the mounting surface, at the distal ends of which actuators in each case mold channels for receiving the stringers are attached, which mold channels are interconnected by means of flexible intermediate elements and/or further mold channels for forming a vacuum-tight closed mold surface.

Claims

1. A device for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced fuselage shell for an aircraft, which fuselage shell for the purpose of reinforcement comprises a plurality of stringers spaced apart from each other, the device comprising:

a base frame for forming a load-bearing, rigid, substructure with an outwardly-curved mounting surface for the positive-rigging of the fuselage shell to be manufactured,

a plurality of actuators extending radially outwards and that are longitudinally adjustable and are affixed to the mounting surface,

a plurality of mold channels for receiving the stringers attached at the distal ends of the actuators, the mold channels being interconnected by at least one of a plurality of flexible intermediate elements and additional mold channels for forming a vacuum-tight closed mold surface,

wherein the actuators for installation are hingeably mounted, by way of associated joints, on the mounting surface of the base frame, and wherein the flexible intermediate element is configured as an elastic belt.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rigidly interconnected mold channels is adjustable by way of a shared actuator.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the mold channel comprises grooves for guiding the vacuum, and vacuum connections for the mold surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the groove region of the mold channel comprises a plurality of positioning sections arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other, that reduce the diameter of the groove cross section, and that correspond to the desired geometry of the stringer to be inserted.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the base frame is configured to be moved on a transfer carriage with a lifting mechanism or a lifting-rotating device for moving together the laminating-bonding device and the rigging device, and for positioning the devices relative to each other.

7. A method for manufacturing a fuselage shell comprising a fiber-reinforced composite material for an aircraft with a device of claim 1, the method comprising:

a) extending the actuators to the transfer position in order to form a mold surface that corresponds to the initial position,

b) drawing a vacuum foil onto the mold surface and sealing said vacuum foil,

c) bonding auxiliary material panels into the regions between cavities/depressions of adjacent mold channels,

d) inserting stringers into the mold channels so that they extend parallel to the auxiliary material panels,

e) retracting the actuators in order to form a retracted position for the spaced-apart positioning of the occupied mold surface beneath or above an associated laminating-bonding device,

f) extending the actuators to the transfer position for pressing the occupied mold surface against a correspondingly formed counter-surface of the laminating-bonding device,

g) undoing the evacuation on the side of the mold surface and starting the evacuation on the side of the laminating-bonding device for transferring the construction previously placed onto the mold surface,

h) retracting the actuators into the retracted position for moving apart the rigging device and the laminating-bonding device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising after step d) an intermediate step d1) according to which intermediate step d1) end pieces comprising sealant are inserted into the groove ends of the mold channels.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising after step d) an intermediate step d2) according to which a trace of sealant is placed transversely over the region of adjacent groove ends of the mold channels.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein after step h) the fuselage shell is removed, and subsequently for quality control is rotated so that the inside that is reinforced with the stringers is accessible for visual checking.

2. A device for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced fuselage shell for an aircraft, which fuselage shell for the purpose of reinforcement comprises a plurality of stringers spaced apart from each other, the device comprising:

a base frame for forming a load-bearing, rigid, substructure with an outwardly-curved mounting surface for the positive-rigging of the fuselage shell to be manufactured,

a plurality of actuators extending radially outwards and that are longitudinally adjustable and are affixed to the mounting surface,

a plurality of mold channels for receiving the stringers attached at the distal ends of the actuators, the mold channels being interconnected by at least one of a plurality of flexible intermediate elements and additional mold channels for forming a vacuum-tight closed mold surface, and

an actuator for folding down a side flank of the mold surface, which side flank can be hinged over the aforesaid, wherein the actuators for installation are hingeably mounted, by way of associated joints, on the mounting surface of the base frame, and wherein the flexible intermediate element is configured as a hinge.