METHOD OF MAKING A LAMINATE COMPONENT AND METHOD OF REMOVING VOIDS FROM A PRE-PREG PLY AND A PRE-PREG COMPONENT

• US 20140261970A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Riahi, Amir, MOORS, Thomas Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/838,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20140261970A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/87
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2073/268 for drilling holes in the area to be repaired
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0064 of reinforced material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/021 Combinations of fibrous reinforcement and non-fibrous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/26 for mechanical pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/30 for local pressing or local heating
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/243 using carbon fibres

Abstract

A method of making a laminate component and method of removing voids from a pre-preg ply and pre-preg component are provided. The method of making a laminate includes laying up a plurality of pre-preg plies in a desired geometry, the plurality of pre-preg plies having a plurality of fibers and a resin. The method includes creating at least one void-reducing channel in at least one ply of the plurality of pre-preg plies, the void-reducing channel being perpendicular to a fiber orientation in the at least one ply. The void reducing channel locally re-orients the fibers adjacent to the void-reducing channel in the at least one pre-preg ply. The method includes laminating the plurality of pre-preg plies. The resin fills the at least one void-reducing channel and the laminate component has a porosity margin of about 1.5%.

Claims

1. A method making a laminate component comprising:

laying up a plurality of pre-preg plies in a desired geometry, the plurality of pre-preg plies having a plurality of fibers and a resin;

creating at least one void-reducing channel in at least one ply of the plurality of pre-preg plies, the at least one void-reducing channel being perpendicular to a fiber orientation in the at least one ply, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel locally re-orients the fiber orientation adjacent to the at least one void-reducing channel in the at least one pre-preg ply; and

laminating the plurality of pre-preg plies, wherein the resin fills the at least one void-reducing channel,

wherein the laminate component has a porosity margin of about 1.5%.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is created in a predetermined pattern in the plurality of pre-preg plies.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is an aperture having a diameter of about 0.3 millimeters to about 2 millimeters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is a slit having a width of about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.4 millimeters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one void reducing channel is created using a sharp object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-preg plies comprise carbon, glass, basalt, poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fibers of the plurality of pre-preg plies are arranged in a unidirectional orientation, biaxial orientation, biaxial weave, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fibers are arranged in a unidirectional orientation and have a high tow count.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of laminating includes applying a vacuum to cure the laminate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of laminating includes applying heat to cure the laminate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminate is substantially free from intralaminar defects.

12. A method of removing voids from a pre-preg ply, the pre-preg ply having a plurality of fibers and a resin, the method comprising:

identifying at least one void in the pre-preg ply;

creating at least one void-reducing channel adjacent to the at least one identified void in the pre-preg ply, the at least one void-reducing channel being perpendicular to a fiber orientation in the pre-preg ply, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel locally re-orients the plurality of fibers adjacent to the at least one void-reducing channel and increases through-thickness air-permeability in the pre-preg ply; and

laminating the pre-preg ply, wherein the resin fills the at least one void and the at least one void-reducing channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is created using a sharp object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is an aperture having a diameter of about 0.3 millimeters to about 2 millimeters.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of fibers of the pre-preg ply are arranged in a unidirectional orientation, biaxial orientation, biaxial weave, and combinations thereof.

16. A method of removing voids from a pre-preg component comprising:

providing the pre-preg component, the pre-preg component having a plurality of plies including a plurality of fibers and a resin;

identifying at least one void in at least one ply of the pre-preg component;

creating at least one void-reducing channel through a portion of the identified at least one void, the at least one void-reducing channel being perpendicular to a fiber orientation in the at least one ply, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel locally re-orients the plurality of fibers adjacent to the void-reducing channel in the at least one pre-preg ply; and

laminating the pre-preg component, wherein the resin fills the at least one void-reducing channel and the at least one void.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one void-reducing channel is an aperture having a diameter of about 0.3 millimeters to about 2 millimeters.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one void-reducing channels are created using a sharp object.