THERMOPLASTIC TRUSS STRUCTURE FOR USE IN WING AND ROTOR BLADE STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURE

• US 20190330848A1
• Filed: 07/12/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: CAWTHORNE, Matthew Howard, WUMMER, Christopher Eliot, CRAIG, Danielle Raiko
• Application Number:
  US16/510,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20190330848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/16 Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7841 Holding or clamping means for handling purposes clamping means for the purpose of applying pressure on the parts to be joined, in the area to be joined B29C66/81; work holders in general B25B; devices for holding or positioning work for welding metal B23K37/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/21 said joint lines being formed by a single dot or dash or by several dots or dashes, i.e. spot joining or spot welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/474 said single elements being substantially non-flat
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/69 General aspects of joining filaments bundling articles B65B13/00; interconnecting successive lengths of material B65H69/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72 characterised by the structure of the material of the parts to be joined
• 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 66/7252 hollow-walled
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• 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 99/0028 hollow blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/00 Use of polyethers , e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2309/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2701/12 Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2028/00 Nets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/087 : Propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3076 : Aircrafts blades, propellers B29L2031/08
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3085 : Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7172 : Fuel tanks, jerry cans
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/32 : Rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/473 : Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/00 : Wings ornithopter wings B64C33/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/20 : Integral or sandwich constructions
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/22 : Geodetic or other open-frame structures
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/02 : Tanks tanks constructed integrally with aircraft wings B64C; shape or construction of tanks per se B65D
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/36 : spaced apart by transversely-placed strip material, e.g. honeycomb panels honeycomb or other core members for layered products B32B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to thermoplastic truss structures and methods of forming the same. The truss structures are formed using thermoplastic materials, such as fiber reinforced thermoplastic resins, and facilitate directional load support based on the shape of the truss structure. In one example, multiple two-dimensional patterns of fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin are disposed on one another in a saw tooth pattern, sinusoidal pattern, or other repeating pattern, and adhered to one another in selective locations. The two dimensional patterns may then be expanded in a third dimension to form a three-dimensional, cross-linked truss structure. The three-dimensional, cross-linked truss structure may then be heated or otherwise treated to maintain the three-dimensional shape.

Claims

1. A method of forming a support structure, comprising:

positioning a first wire segment of thermoplastic material, the first wire segment having a first saw tooth pattern;

positioning a second wire segment of thermoplastic material over the first wire segment, the second segment wire segment having a second saw tooth pattern offset from the first saw tooth pattern;

adhering the second wire segment to the first wire segment;

positioning a third wire segment of thermoplastic material over the second wire segment, the third wire segment having the first saw tooth pattern, the third wire segment aligned with the first wire segment and offset from the second wire segment; and

adhering the third wire segment to the first wire segment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising expanding the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and the third wire segment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing a fourth wire segment over the third wire segment, the fourth wire segment having the second saw tooth pattern, the fourth wire segment aligned with the second wire segment.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising adhering the fourth wire segment to the second wire segment and the third wire segment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising disposing fifth wire segment over the fourth wire segment, the fifth wire segment having the first saw tooth pattern and aligned with the first wire segment and the third wire segment.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising adhering the firth wire segment to the third wire segment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adhering the second wire segment to the first wire segment comprises fusion bonding the second wire segment to the first wire segment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising heat treating the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and the third wire segment after expanding the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and the third wire segment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising adhering a thermoplastic skin to the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and the third wire segment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and the third wire segment in an expanded configuration using a soluble tooling medium.

11. A method of forming a support structure, comprising:

positioning a first wire segment of thermoplastic material, the first wire segment having a first saw tooth pattern;

positioning a second wire segment of thermoplastic material over the first wire segment, the second segment wire segment having a second saw tooth pattern offset from the first saw tooth pattern;

adhering the second wire segment to the first wire segment by fusion bonding;

positioning a third wire segment of thermoplastic material over the second wire segment, the third wire segment having the first saw tooth pattern, the third wire segment aligned with the first wire segment and offset from the second wire segment; and

adhering the third wire segment to the first wire segment by fusion bonding.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment each include fibers impregnated therein.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment each comprise carbon fiber.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment each comprise polyetherketoneketone.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment each comprise polyetheretherketone.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment are hollow.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising fusion bonding a skin to one or more of the first wire segment, the second wire segment, and third wire segment.

18. A method of forming a support structure, comprising:

positioning a first wire segment of thermoplastic material, the first wire segment having a first saw tooth pattern;

positioning a second wire segment of thermoplastic material over the first wire segment, the second segment wire segment having a second saw tooth pattern offset from the first saw tooth pattern;

adhering the first wire segment to the second wire segment at intersections thereof by diffusion bonding;

positioning a third wire segment of thermoplastic material over the second wire segment, the third wire segment having the first saw tooth pattern, the third wire segment aligned with the first wire segment and offset from the second wire segment; and

adhering upper axes of the third wire segment to upper apexes of the first wire segment.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising disposing a fourth wire segment over the third wire segment, the fourth wire segment having the second saw tooth pattern, the fourth wire segment aligned with the second wire segment.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising adhering lowering apexes of the fourth wire segment to the lower apexes of the second wire segment.