Method and Apparatus for Producing Composite Fillers

• US 20130105072A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Anderson, Donald A., Kisch, Robert A., Chapman, Michael Robert, Zaballos, Kenneth Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,591,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/264
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/52 Pultrusion, i.e. forming and compressing by continuously pulling through a die
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/526 Pultrusion dies, e.g. dies with moving or rotating parts B29C70/523 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0005 Producing noodles, i.e. composite gap fillers, characterised by their construction
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0007 having a variable cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/003 having a profiled transverse cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/008 having a longitudinal cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/0046 characterised by constructional aspects of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0004 Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1023 Surface deformation only [e.g., embossing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1031 with preshaping of lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1044 of parallel stacked sheets only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/12 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with cutting, punching, piercing, severing or tearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/125 Plural severing means each acting on a different work piece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1317 Means feeding plural workpieces to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/133 Delivering cut part to indefinite or running length web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/14 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with shaping, scarifying, or cleaning joining surface only

Abstract

Apparatus for producing a composite filler includes at least one die and a device for moving a stack of reinforced ply strips through the die. The die has peripheral die face adapted for forming the ply strip stack into a desired cross sectional shape. The cross section of the die face may vary around the periphery of the die.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing a composite filler, comprising:

at least one rotatable die having a peripheral die face adapted for forming a stack into a desired cross sectional shape to form the composite filler, the stack comprising a plurality of composite reinforced strips, wherein the die face varies in cross sectional shape around the periphery of the die; and

a device for moving the stack through the die.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the die includes a puller for pulling the stack through the die; and

the plurality of composite reinforced strips comprise a plurality of strips of fiber prepreg.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of creels each adapted to hold and dispense one strip of prepreg material; and

a guide for directing strips dispensed from the creels into the stack.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the guide includes a plurality of aligned slots for respectively guiding the strips dispensed from the creels into the stack.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a cut and add device for cutting the strips dispensed from the creels and selectively adding strips dispensed from the creels to the guide.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of strips comprise a prepreg material, and the apparatus further comprises:

a plurality of take-up reels adapted for taking up backing paper respectively on each of the strips of the plurality of creels as the strips are dispensed from the creels.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a chute for guiding the stack into the die.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the chute is a heated chute.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the die is substantially circular and has a central axis about which the die rotates.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cross sectional shape of the die face is substantially V-shaped.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a surface forming a nip into which the stack may be fed and against which the die squeezes the stack.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the die is substantially circular and the die face extends around at least a portion of an entire circumference of the die.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the die is substantially circular; and

the die face varies in cross sectional area substantially continuously around a circumference of the die.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the die is substantially circular; and

the die face includes at least a first circumferential section having a substantially constant cross sectional area, and at least a second circumferential section having a varying cross sectional area.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the die forms a first cross section of the stack, and the apparatus further comprises:

a second die having a peripheral die face adapted for forming a second cross section of the stack, wherein the die face of the second die varies in cross sectional shape around the periphery of the second die.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one adhesive dispenser for dispensing an adhesive; and

a device for pressing the dispensed adhesive onto the composite, the device including a cam face with a cross sectional area that varies around the periphery of the device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the dispenser includes a reel adapted to hold adhesive strips; and

the reel dispenses the adhesive strips onto the composite filler before the cam face presses the adhesive onto composite filler.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a slitter for slitting a layup of prepreg plies into a plurality of strips; and

a redirect device for redirecting the plurality of strips into stacked relationship to form the stack.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a controller for synchronizing the rotation of the die with operation of the device for moving the stack through the die.

20. Apparatus for producing a composite filler, comprising:

a slitter adapted to slit a multi-ply composite layup into a plurality of side-by-side strips;

a redirect device for redirecting the plurality of strips into a stack;

a forming die for forming the stack into a desired cross sectional shape; and

a puller for pulling the composite layup through the slitter, the redirect device and the forming die.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the redirect device includes rollers for changing an orientation of the plurality of strips relative to each other.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the forming die is disposed between the puller and the slitter.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein:

the forming die is rotatable and includes a substantially circular die face having a variable cross section around its periphery.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the redirect device includes rollers through which the plurality of strips are fed.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a set of compaction rollers for compacting the stack.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the slitter includes a plurality of cutters spaced apart at differing distances to slit the layup into strips of differing widths.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a heated chute into which the stack may be fed from the slitter and heated to a forming temperature.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

at least one adhesive dispenser for dispensing an adhesive; and

a cam for pressing the dispensed adhesive onto the formed stack, the cam including a cam face having a cross sectional area that varies around a periphery of the cam.

29. A method of fabricating a composite filler having a cross section that varies along its length, comprising:

forming a stack of composite prepreg strips;

feeding the stack through a die; and

using the die to form the stack into the composite filler, including varying a shape of a die face in contact with the stack as the stack is fed through the die.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the shape of the die face in contact with the stack comprises rotating the die as the stack is fed through the die.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

synchronizing the feeding of the stack through the die with the varying of the shape of the die face in contact with the stack.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips comprises:

dispensing strips of composite prepreg respectively from a plurality of creels; and

aligning the strips with each other.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein:

aligning the strips with each other is performed by passing the strips through a guide; and

forming the stack of composite prepreg strips further comprises compacting the aligned strips into a stack.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

heating the stack to a forming temperature by passing the stack through a heated chute.

35. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

applying a strip of adhesive to the composite filler; and

compressing the adhesive against the composite filler.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein compressing the adhesive against the composite filler is performed by rolling a cam having a varying cross section that substantially matches the varying cross section of the composite filler over the composite filler.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips comprises:

forming a layup of prepreg plies; and

slitting the layup into a plurality of strips of varying widths.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips further comprises:

loading the plurality of strips respectively onto a plurality of creels;

dispensing the plurality of strips from the plurality of creels; and

aligning the dispensed strips.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips includes ordering strips of composite prepreg as the strips are being dispensed and aligned.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein feeding the stack through the die comprises pulling one end of the stack.

41. The method of claim 29, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips comprises:

assembling a layup of prepreg plies; and

slitting the layup into a plurality of side-by-side strips of varying widths by moving the layup through a slitter.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein forming the stack of composite prepreg strips comprises:

redirecting the side-by-side strips into alignment with each other; and

compacting the aligned strips into the stack.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein redirecting and compacting the strips are each performed by passing the strips through a set of rollers.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein assembling the layup includes:

laying up unidirectional fiber prepreg plies, including varying the fiber orientations of the plies of the layup.

45. A composite filler produced by the method of claim 29.

46. A method of fabricating a composite filler, comprising:

forming a multi-ply composite layup;

feeding the layup substantially continuously through a slitter and a forming die;

using the slitter to slit the layup into a plurality of side-by-side composite prepreg strips;

aligning the plurality of strips into a stack as the plurality of strips is fed from the slitter to the forming die; and

using the die to form the stack into the filler.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein forming the multi-ply composite layup comprises laying up unidirectional fiber prepreg plies having at least two differing fiber orientations.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein feeding the layup substantially continuously through a slitter and a forming die is performed by pulling one end of the stack.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein aligning the plurality of strips is performed using rollers to redirect the plurality of strips after the plurality of strips have been redirected from side-by-side relationship to a stacked relationship.

50. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

using rollers to compact the stack before the stack is fed through the die.