Apparatus for fabricating highly contoured composite stiffeners with reduced wrinkling
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for forming a substantially wrinkle-free fiber reinforced composite stiffener having an out-of-plane curved section along its length, comprising:
- a mandrel on which fiber reinforced composite plies may be formed, the mandrel having a sidewall comprising a first tool face, the sidewall including a first portion along a first length that is less than a total length of the sidewall, the sidewall further including a second portion along a second length that is less than the total length and a third portion along a third length that is less than the total length, the first portion being between the second portion and the third portion, the first portion having an out-of-plane curvature and an in-plane curvature, the second portion having a second curvature different than the in-plane curvature and the out-of-plane curvature, the third portion having the second curvature, the mandrel further having a second tool face along the sidewall and connected to the sidewall at an angle, the second tool face also having the out-of-plane curvature along the first length, and the second tool face further having the second curvature along the second length and the third length.
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Abstract
A mandrel having an out-of-plane curvature and a corresponding in-plane change in mandrel geometry is used to fabricate substantially wrinkle-free, fiber reinforced stiffeners having an out-of-plane curvature.
20 Citations
10 Claims
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1. Apparatus for forming a substantially wrinkle-free fiber reinforced composite stiffener having an out-of-plane curved section along its length, comprising:
a mandrel on which fiber reinforced composite plies may be formed, the mandrel having a sidewall comprising a first tool face, the sidewall including a first portion along a first length that is less than a total length of the sidewall, the sidewall further including a second portion along a second length that is less than the total length and a third portion along a third length that is less than the total length, the first portion being between the second portion and the third portion, the first portion having an out-of-plane curvature and an in-plane curvature, the second portion having a second curvature different than the in-plane curvature and the out-of-plane curvature, the third portion having the second curvature, the mandrel further having a second tool face along the sidewall and connected to the sidewall at an angle, the second tool face also having the out-of-plane curvature along the first length, and the second tool face further having the second curvature along the second length and the third length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. Apparatus for fabricating a fiber reinforced, substantially wrinkle-free composite stringer, the apparatus comprising:
a mandrel on which fiber reinforced composite plies may be formed, the mandrel having a sidewall, the sidewall including a first portion along a first length that is less than a total length of the sidewall, the sidewall further including a second portion along a second length that is less than the total length and a third portion along a third length that is less than the total length, the first portion being between the second portion and the third portion, the first portion having an out-of-plane curvature and an in-plane curvature, the second portion having a second curvature different than the in-plane curvature and the out-of-plane curvature, the third portion having the second curvature, the mandrel further having a bottom tool face along the sidewall and connected to the sidewall at an angle, the bottom tool face also having the out-of-plane curvature along the first length, and the bottom tool face further having the second curvature along the second length and the third length. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for forming a substantially wrinkle-free fiber reinforced composite stringer having an out-of-plane curved section along its length, comprising:
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a mandrel on which fiber reinforced composite plies may be formed, the mandrel having a sidewall comprising a first tool face, the sidewall including a first portion along a first length that is less than a total length of the sidewall, the sidewall further including a second portion along a second length that is less than the total length and a third portion along a third length that is less than the total length, the first portion being between the second portion and the third portion, the first portion having an out-of-plane curvature and an in-plane curvature, the second portion having a second curvature different than the in-plane curvature and the out-of-plane curvature, the third portion having the second curvature, the mandrel further having a second tool face along the sidewall and connected to the sidewall at an angle, the second tool face also having the out-of-plane curvature along the first length, and the second tool face further having the second curvature along the second length and the third length; and a pair of compaction tools for compacting the plies against the first and second tool faces, the compaction tools each including a curved surface substantially matching the out-of-plane curved section of the first tool face, and a curved surface substantially matching the section of the second tool face having the in-plane change in geometry.
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Specification