SPATIAL REFERENCE FILM IN CORE-STIFFENED COMPOSITE

• US 20170305131A1
• Filed: 04/20/2016
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Polus, Jeffrey Edward, Polus, Dylan Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,391,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/40 Symmetrical or sandwich layers, e.g. ABA, ABCBA, ABCCBA
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/732 Dimensional properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2405/00 Adhesive articles, e.g. adhesive tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/18 Aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/06 as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a layer of a particular substance B32B9/045; next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/046; next to a water setting substance layer B32B13/12; next to a metal layer B32B15/08; next to a glass layer B32B17/10; next to a layer formed of natural mineral fibres or particles B32B19/045; next to a wood layer B32B21/08; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/08; next to a natural or synthetic rubber layer B32B25/08
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/10 characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/12 characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/12 characterised by using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/14 characterised by the properties of the layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/02 Physical, chemical or physicochemical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/04 Interconnection of layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/12 Construction or attachment of skin panels
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2001/0072 from composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24149 Honeycomb-like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24612 Composite web or sheet

Abstract

A core-stiffened composite product has an interior core and layers of composite laminates sandwiched together about the core. The core-stiffened composite product includes at least one layer of adhesive film containing a visual target spatially scanned by an automated tracking system to produce a dimensionally corrected reference volume to collate successive layers of film as applied to the interior core. The visual target is positioned to assure an as-designed alignment of each applied layer of laminate onto the core to minimize cumulative tolerance build-ups during a laminate layering process. At least one layer of adhesive film remains within the completed composite product.

Claims

1. A core-stiffened composite product having an interior core and layers of composite laminates sandwiched together about the core;

the core-stiffened composite product comprising;

at least one layer of adhesive film containing a visual target;

wherein the visual target is spatially scanned by an automated tracking system to produce a dimensionally corrected reference volume to collate successive layers of film as applied to the interior core, the visual target positioned to assure an as-designed alignment of each applied layer of laminate onto the core to minimize cumulative tolerance build-ups during a laminate layering process; and

wherein the at least one layer of adhesive film remains within the completed composite product.

2. The core-stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the core is formed of a honeycomb.

3. The core-stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the core is segmented.

4. The core-stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the core has a thickness of about one order of magnitude greater than the thickness of any laminate layer within the composite product.

5. The core-stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the automated tracking system is an optical scanner.

6. The core-stiffened composite product of claim 5, wherein the automated tracking system is a laser scanner.

7. The core stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the composite product is cured in an autoclave.

8. The core stiffened composite product of claim 1, wherein the composite product comprises prepreg composite fibers not requiring heat for curing.

9. An aircraft component having an interior core and layers of composite laminates sandwiched together about the core, the aircraft component comprising:

at least one layer of adhesive film containing a visual target;

wherein the visual target is spatially scanned by an automated tracking system to produce a dimensionally corrected reference volume to collate successive layers of film as applied to the interior core, the visual target positioned to assure an as-designed alignment of each applied layer of laminate onto the core to minimize cumulative tolerance build-ups during a laminate layering process; and

wherein the at least one layer of adhesive film remains within the completed aircraft component.

10. The aircraft component of claim 9, wherein the tracking system employs a point cloud to generate the dimensionally corrected reference volume.

11. The aircraft component of claim 10, wherein the point cloud defines a computer-generated frame of reference for accurately applying the at least one layer of adhesive film to the core.

12. The aircraft component of claim 9, wherein the core has a thickness of about one order of magnitude greater than the thickness of any composite laminate layer within the composite product.

13. The aircraft component of claim 9, further comprising two reversely identical portions bonded together to form the component.

14. The aircraft component of claim 10, wherein the point cloud is used to make real-time comparisons of an as-built core stiffened composite product with a predetermined, as-designed composite product.

15. The aircraft component of claim 10, wherein the spatially scanned visual target is compared in real time against as-designed parameters for minimizing tolerance build-ups in the as-built component.

16. A process of manufacturing a lightweight aircraft core-stiffened composite product having an interior core and layers of laminates sandwiched about the core;

the process including the steps of;

placing a first prepreg laminate layer on a work surface of a composite layup tool;

placing a first adhesive layer over the first prepreg laminate;

placing a core over the first laminate;

applying a second adhesive layer over the core, the second adhesive layer containing a visual laser target;

using an optical scanner to track the visual target to generate a spatial reference for accurate positioning of a second prepreg laminate layer; and

placing the second prepreg laminate layer over the second adhesive layer in accordance with a dimensionally corrected reference volume generated by the optical scanner.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein the optical scanner provides a tracked reference in three orthogonal dimensions for positioning of the second prepreg laminate layer.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein the optical scanner reads along a visual tracking sight path having X and Y dimensions, and wherein the optical scanner also reads vertically along a Z dimension.

19. The process of claim 16, wherein the core stiffened product is cured in an autoclave.

20. The process of claim 16, wherein the core-stiffened product does not require heat for curing.