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Method of manufacturing curved composite structural elements

  • US 9,630,390 B2
  • Filed: 11/18/2013
  • Issued: 04/25/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of manufacturing a curved composite structural element, the method comprising the steps of:

  • laying up a 0-degree web ply formed of contiguously joined fiber composite strips onto a web surface of a manufacturing tool, the web surface having the shape of a planar arc as a flat curve, the manufacturing tool also having a first cap surface adjacent the web surface at one side thereof so as to form a first angle at a first corner with the web surface, and the first cap surface having a longitudinal centerline defining an inward or outward curve along which the first corner runs, whereby fibers of the laid up web ply are aligned in a 0-degree direction with a full length of a longitudinal centerline of the planar arc without substantial distortion;

    laying up a 0-degree cap ply of fiber composite tape onto the first cap surface to form a splice with an edge of the laid up web ply along the first corner, the laid up cap ply comprising a plurality of tape fibers having 0-degree fiber orientation substantially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the curved cap surface, and the splice resulting in a continuous, substantially 0-degree ply lying across the web and first cap surfaces;

    laying up a diagonal ply comprising a composite material with a plurality of fibers over the continuous ply on the manufacturing tool by initially adhering an edge of the diagonal ply on the first cap surface of the manufacturing tool;

    after said adhering, folding the diagonal ply over the first corner and onto the web surface of the manufacturing tool in order to form a first corner in the diagonal ply between the first cap surface and the web surface;

    uniformly spreading the folded diagonal ply over the web surface so as to avoid wrinkles in the diagonal ply on the web surface; and

    curing the resulting layup of the diagonal and continuous plies after said spreading.

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