Systems and methods for assembling stiffened composite structures
First Claim
1. A method of assembling a stiffened composite structure, comprising:
- providing a supply of stiffeners;
providing a supply of skin segments;
loading, with a stiffener loading tool, a respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners onto an inner mold line layup mandrel, wherein the loading includes;
positioning the stiffener loading tool vertically underneath the inner mold line layup mandrel; and
raising the respective stiffener with the stiffener loading tool until the respective stiffener operatively engages the inner mold line layup mandrel;
repeating the loading to load a plurality of stiffeners onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and
following the repeating the loading, affixing a respective skin segment from the supply of skin segments to the plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel to form at least a portion of the stiffened composite structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of assembling a stiffened composite structure include loading, with a stiffener loading tool, a respective stiffener from a supply of stiffeners onto an inner mold line layup mandrel; repeating the loading to load a plurality of stiffeners onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and following the repeating, affixing a respective skin segment from a supply of skin segments to the plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel to form at least a portion of the stiffened composite structure. Systems for assembling stiffened composite structures include a supply of stiffeners; an inner mold line layup mandrel; and a stiffener loading tool configured to load the respective stiffener onto the inner mold line layup mandrel.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of assembling a stiffened composite structure, comprising:
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providing a supply of stiffeners; providing a supply of skin segments; loading, with a stiffener loading tool, a respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners onto an inner mold line layup mandrel, wherein the loading includes; positioning the stiffener loading tool vertically underneath the inner mold line layup mandrel; and raising the respective stiffener with the stiffener loading tool until the respective stiffener operatively engages the inner mold line layup mandrel; repeating the loading to load a plurality of stiffeners onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and following the repeating the loading, affixing a respective skin segment from the supply of skin segments to the plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel to form at least a portion of the stiffened composite structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of assembling a barrel section of an aircraft fuselage, comprising:
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providing a supply of stiffeners constructed of pre-preg fiber reinforced composite material; providing a supply of skin segments constructed of pre-preg fiber reinforced composite material; applying an adhesive to one side of a respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners; transporting, with a stiffener transporting tool, the respective stiffener; following the transporting, coupling the stiffener transporting tool to an upper side of a stiffener loading tool; following the coupling; positioning the stiffener loading tool vertically underneath an inner mold line layup mandrel; and following the positioning, raising the stiffener loading tool and the respective stiffener with the stiffener loading tool until the one side of the respective stiffener and the adhesive operatively engage the inner mold line layup mandrel; following the positioning, decoupling the stiffener transporting tool from the stiffener loading tool; following the decoupling, vacuum compacting, with the stiffener transporting tool, the respective stiffener on the inner mold line layup mandrel; following the decoupling, rotating the inner mold line layup mandrel to position the inner mold line layup mandrel for subsequent loading of a respective stiffener; repeating the transporting, the positioning, the raising, the decoupling, the vacuum compacting, and the rotating to load and compact a plurality of stiffeners onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and following the repeating, affixing a respective skin segment from the supply of skin segments to the plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel to form at least a portion of the barrel section.
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9. A method of assembling a stiffened composite structure, comprising:
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providing a supply of stiffeners; providing a supply of skin segments; transporting, with a stiffener transporting tool, a respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners; following the transporting, coupling the stiffener transporting tool to a stiffener loading tool; loading, with the stiffener transporting tool and the stiffener loading tool, the respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners onto an inner mold line layup mandrel; repeating the transporting, the coupling, and the loading to load a plurality of stiffeners onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and following the repeating the transporting, the coupling, and the loading, affixing a respective skin segment from the supply of skin segments to the plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel to form at least a portion of the stiffened composite structure. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for assembling stiffened composite structures, comprising:
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a supply of stiffeners; a supply of skin segments; an inner mold line layup mandrel; a stiffener transporting tool configured to transport a respective stiffener from the supply of stiffeners, wherein the stiffener transporting tool includes a compaction structure that is configured to vacuum compact the respective stiffener on the inner mold line layup mandrel; a stiffener loading tool configured to operatively receive the stiffener transporting tool with the respective stiffener and with the stiffener transporting tool to operatively load the respective stiffener onto the inner mold line layup mandrel; and a skin segment loading tool configured to load a respective skin segment from the supply of skin segments onto the inner mold line layup mandrel and onto a plurality of stiffeners loaded on the inner mold line layup mandrel. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification