Method and apparatus for making composite parts

• US 6,723,271 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: W. Scott Hemphill
• Original Assignee: W. Scott Hemphill
• Inventors: DeNardo, Philip M., Green, George E., Catbas, Kemal Hayati, Hunter, Carmen G., Hemphill, W. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Staicovici, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US09/846,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 264/510, 264/511, 264/512, 264/257, 264/258, 264/249, 264/255, 264/571, 264/102, 156/245
• US Class Current: 264/510
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/342 using isostatic pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/443 and impregnating by vacuum or injection

Abstract

A method of making a composite part includes the steps of placing a first section of a fibrous pre-form in a mold and infusing the first section of the fibrous pre-form with a resin so as to produce a resin-infused portion and a non-resin-infused portion. Next, the method includes coupling the non-resin-infused portion to a second section of the fibrous pre-form to create a coupled non-resin-infused portion. Then, the coupled non-resin-infused portion is infused with resin to create a second resin-infused portion and a second non-resin-infused portion. These steps are repeated to separately infuse different sections of the part until the part is complete. The corresponding apparatus preferably employs a rigid mold having a shape defining only a portion of the composite part to be made. And, the method is particularly adapted to making both cored and non-cored structures that are large or unconventionally shaped.

Claims

1. A method for making a composite part, the method comprising:

forming a first structure, the first structure including a fiber-reinforced material having an interface defined by a relatively sharp discontinuity between a resin-infused portion and a non-resin-infused portion;

forming a second structure, the second structure including a fiber-reinforced material having an interface defined by a relatively sharp discontinuity between a resin-infused portion and a non-resin-infused portion;

coupling the non-resin-infused portions of the first and second structures to create a coupled non-resin-infused portion;

infusing the coupled non-resin-infused portion with a resin; and

curing the resin to couple the first and second structures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second forming steps include selectively applying vacuum pressure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said selectively applying vacuum pressure step includes positioning a bleed channel inward from an edge of the material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second forming steps include placing the corresponding fiber-reinforced material in a rigid mold and selectively infusing a portion of the fiber-reinforced material.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said coupling step includes positioning the first and second structures in the mold so that the first and second non-resin-infused portions overlap.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of splicing the first and second non-resin-infused portions with a splicing section of a fiber-reinforced material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fiber-reinforced material of the first and second structures includes a plurality of layers of fiber-reinforced material, and the fiber-reinforced material of the splicing section has opposed ends and includes a plurality of layers of fiber-reinforced material.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said splicing step includes stacking at least a portion of the layers of fiber-reinforced material of each non-resin-infused portion with at least a portion of the layers of corresponding ones of the opposed ends to create a stacked non-resin-infused portion.

9. The method of claim 8, further including the steps of:

infusing the stacked non-resin-infused portion with resin; and

curing the resin.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a core is positioned between at least some of the layers of fiber-reinforced material.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite part is a closed-form composite part.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber-reinforced material is stitch-bonded fabric.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the resin-infused portion is contiguous with the non-resin-infused portion, and the interface between the resin-infused portion and the non-resin-infused portion is generally planar.

14. A method for making a composite part, the method comprising:

placing a first section of a fibrous pre-form in a mold;

infusing the first section with a resin so as to produce an interface defined by a relatively sharp discontinuity between a first resin-infused portion and a first non-resin-infused portion;

coupling the first non-resin-infused portion to a second section of the fibrous pre-form to create a coupled non-resin-infused portion;

infusing the coupled non-resin-infused portion with resin to create a second resin-infused portion and a second non-resin-infused portion; and

allowing the resin to cure to couple the first and second sections.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said coupling step includes translating the first section in the mold.

16. The method of claim 15, further including the step of repeating said translating, coupling and second infusing steps until the composite part is complete.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the fibrous pre-form includes a fiber-reinforced fabric.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the fiber-reinforced fabric is stitch-bonded fabric.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second sections of the fibrous pre-form each includes a plurality of layers of the fiber-reinforced fabric.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said coupling step includes stacking at least a portion of the layers of the non-resin-infused portion with at least a portion of the layers of the second section.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the pre-form includes a third section having a plurality of layers of fiber-reinforced fabric, and wherein the second section is a splicing section having opposed ends, and wherein said coupling step includes stacking at least a portion of the layers of the splicing section with at least a corresponding portion of the layers of the first and third sections.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the fibrous pre-form includes a core.