Method for making parts in composite material with thermoplastic matrix

• US 6,613,258 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle
• Original Assignee: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle
• Inventors: Mouton, Luc, Payen, Hervé, Coiffier-Colas, Carole, Vautey, Philippe, Thibout, Cédric, Delbez, Joël, Meunier, Serge, Maison, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Staicovici, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US09/462,748
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 264/510, 264/511, 264/512, 264/102, 264/153, 264/250, 264/255, 264/257, 264/258, 264/339, 264/248, 264/160, 264/324, 264/310, 264/571, 156/166, 156/167, 156/168, 156/172, 156/173, 156/184, 156/192, 156/245, 156/189
• US Class Current: 264/102
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7882 said parts to be joined moving in a circular path
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/112 Single lapped joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/131 Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/301 Three-dimensional joints, i.e. the joined area being substantially non-flat B29C66/5223, B29C66/5224, B29C66/5225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/474 said single elements being substantially non-flat
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/524 Joining profiled elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/532 Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/61 Joining from or joining on the inside for making tubes by bending sheets and joining from the inside B29C53/387
• 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 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/32 on a rotating mould, former or core
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/86 Incorporated in coherent impregnated reinforcing layers, e.g. by winding
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/00 Use of polyethers , e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/061 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/064 Stringers; Longerons
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/068 Fuselage sections
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/12 : Construction or attachment of skin panels
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2001/0072 : from composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1089 : of discrete laminae to single face of additional lamina

Abstract

A process is proposed for the fabrication of parts with large dimensions formed of a skin (10) and stiffeners (12, 16) such as aircraft fuselage segments made of a composite material with a thermoplastic matrix. After stiffeners have been made separately by lay-up, consolidation and shaping, these stiffeners are placed on a tooling (23) and the skin (10) is simultaneously fabricated and assembled to the stiffeners (12, 16) by diffusion welding. More precisely, the skin (10) is laid up and continuously consolidated by the lay-up head (36) such that the required part is obtained directly.

Claims

1. Fabrication process for parts from a composite material comprising a skin and stiffeners, the process comprising:

separately fabricating stiffeners by lay-up, consolidation and shaping, starting from a strip of long fibers impregnated with thermoplastic resin;

placing the stiffeners on a tooling with a shape complementary to the shape of the part to be fabricated;

simultaneously fabricating and assembling the skin with the stiffeners by lay-up and continuous consolidation of strips of long fibers impregnated with thermoplastic resin, directly on the tooling on which the stiffeners are placed; and

cooling a strip that has just been deposited to a temperature below the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin, prior to adding an additional strip heated at a temperature above the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin to weld the strips together by diffusion.

2. Process according to claim 1, in which the stiffeners are made by continuously and automatically depositing a strip long fibers impregnated with thermoplastic resin in order to form a panel, by cutting blacks out of this panel, and then by consolidation and shaping of theses blanks.

3. Process according to claim 2, in which the blanks are consolidated before they are shaped.

4. Process according to claim 2, which the blanks are consolidated in an autoclave or in heating press.

5. Process according to claim 2, in which the blanks are shaped by thermoforming.

6. Process according to claim 5, in witch the blanks are bent before they are shaped by thermoforming.

7. Process according to claim 2, in which the blanks are consolidated and shaped simultaneously by thermoforming, in a heating press.

8. Process according to claim 1, applied to the fabrication of a hollow part, in which the stiffeners are placed in recesses formed on a mandrel forming part of the tooling, and in which the lay-up is then done and the strip is continuously consolidated on this mandrel by rotating the mandrel around its axis.

9. Process according to claim 8, applied to the fabrication of aircraft fuselage segments, in which stiffeners comprising rails, frames and local stiffeners are fabricated.

10. Process according to claim 1, in which lightning protection is then integrated into the skin.