Plastic-composite profiled girder, in particular a wing spar for aircraft and for wind-turbine rotors

• US 5,476,704 A
• Filed: 02/10/1994
• Issued: 12/19/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoac-Austria Flugzeugwerk Wr.Neustadt Gesellschaft M.B.H.
• Original Assignee: Hoac-Austria Flugzeugwerk Wr.Neustadt Gesellschaft M.B.H.
• Inventors: Kohler, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmad, Nasser
• Application Number:
  US08/193,165
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 428/119, 428/120, 428/220, 428/245, 428/251, 428/252, 428/253, 428/261, 428/116, 428/73, 244/119, 244/123, 244/120, 244/131, 52/734, 52/731.1, 52/729
• US Class Current: 428/119
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4855 characterised by their physical properties, e.g. being electrically-conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/544 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/112 Single lapped joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/114 Single butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12441 being a single wall
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43421 with a right angle, e.g. for making L-shaped pieces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43441 with two right angles, e.g. for making T-shaped pieces, H-shaped pieces
• 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 66/721 Fibre-reinforced materials B29C66/729 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7212 characterised by the composition of the fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72141 Fibres of continuous length
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72143 Fibres of discontinuous lengths
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72525 comprising honeycomb cores
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/727 being porous, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73755 the to-be-joined area of at least one of the parts to be joined being fully cured, i.e. fully cross-linked, fully vulcanized
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7394 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoset
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/52 Pultrusion, i.e. forming and compressing by continuously pulling through a die
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0003 Producing profiled members, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 : PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/08 : Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 : Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2063/00 : Use of EP, i.e. epoxy resins or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 : Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2277/10 : Aromatic polyamides [Polyaramides] or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 : Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2309/08 : Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3076 : Aircrafts blades, propellers B29L2031/08
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/185 : Spars
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 3/28 : of materials not covered by groups E04C3/04 - E04C3/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24174 : including sheet or component perpendicular to plane of web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24182 : Inward from edge of web or sheet

Abstract

Synthetic resin composite profile, in particular wing spar for aircraft construction, comprising at least two flanges (1) provided with adhesive bonding flanges and at least one web (2) interconnecting the flanges (1) and inserted into the adhesive bonded flanges, the flanges (1) being constructed of resin impregnated rovings and the web (2) of resin impregnated woven or non-woven fabrics and the flanges (1) and the web (2) being adhesively interconnected. The flanges (1) are pultruded, the web (2) being inserted into the adhesive bonding flanges of both flanges (1) and fixed therein by means of a thixotropic adhesive (4). This manner of construction ensures that the full flange adhesive bonding width is retained even if the component height should change.

Claims

1. Synthetic resin composite wing spar for aircraft construction comprising at least two premanufactured flanges and at least one premanufactured web interconnecting said flanges, said flanges being manufactured by pultrusion of thermoplastic resin impregnated rovings, both of said flanges being provided with adhesive bonded flanges protruding from the surface of the flanges over part of the height of the web and defining a hollow gap therebetween, said web being manufactured of cured thermoplastic resin impregnated woven or non-woven fabrics and being inserted in said hollow gap of said adhesive bonded flanges of both of the flanges of the wing spar and fixed therein by means of a thixotropic adhesive inserted into said hollow gap of the adhesive bonded flanges, further strips of woven or non-woven fabric are worked into the flanges of the wing spar and extend into the lateral protruding parts of the adhesive bonded flanges.

2. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive bonded flanges are formed by simultaneously moulding them onto said flanges of the wing spar during the pultrusion.

3. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein said at least one web is composed of a base panel and cover layers provided on both sides, made of woven or knitted fabric, the number of superimposed layers of said cover layers and thereby the thickness of the web varying as a function of the longitudinal position on the web.

4. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 3, wherein the base panel is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of foam material and honeycomb panel material.

5. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 3, wherein the number of superimposed layers of said cover layers progressively decreases from one of the narrow sides of the web to the other.

6. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein epoxy resin is used as the adhesive and for the resin form manufacturing the flanges and at least one web of the wing spar.

7. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein at least one resin selected from the group consisting of epoxy, polyester, vinyl and acrylic resins are used.

8. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein at least one fibre selected from the group consisting of glass, carbon and aramide fibres are used for the rovings, woven, non-woven or knitted fabrics.

9. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the flange diminishes continuously from one end of the wing spar to the other end.

10. Synthetic resin composite wing spar according to claim 1, wherein the height of the web and thereby the height of the wing spar is continuously diminishing from one end of the wing spar to the other end, the full adhesive bonding width between the flanges and the at least one web being retained everywhere.