Systems and methods for forming radius fillers for composite structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10105942-B2
Application number	US-201715615453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2017
Priority date	Aug 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for forming radius fillers for composite structures are disclosed herein. The systems include a sheet-locating structure that has a support surface and a support surface edge. The systems further include a separation device, a conveyance structure, and a layup surface. The methods include locating a sheet of composite material on a first support surface and translating the sheet of composite material such that a first portion of the sheet is supported by the first support surface and a second portion of the sheet extends past the support surface edge. The methods also include separating the second portion of the sheet from the first portion of the sheet to form a strip of composite material. The methods further include conveying the strip of composite material onto a layup surface and repeating the methods to form the radius filler from a plurality of strips of composite material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for forming a radius filler for a composite structure, the system comprising:
a sheet-locating structure having a support surface configured to support a first portion of a sheet of composite material, wherein the support surface has a support surface edge, and further wherein the sheet-locating structure is configured to selectively extend a second portion of the sheet of composite material past the support surface edge;
a separation device configured to separate the second portion of the sheet of composite material from the first portion of the sheet of composite material to form a strip of composite material;
a conveyance structure configured to operatively translate the separation device along the support surface edge of the support surface to form the strip of composite material; and
a layup surface configured to receive the strip of composite material subsequent to the strip of composite material being separated from the sheet of composite material.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the support surface is a first support surface, and further wherein the system includes a second support surface that is adjacent the support surface edge of the support surface, or the first support surface, wherein the first support surface, and the second support surface define a gap therebetween, and further wherein the second support surface is configured to support the second portion of the sheet of composite material.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the conveyance structure further is configured to operatively translate the second support surface along the support surface edge of the support surface.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the layup surface is configured to receive the strip of composite material from the second support surface.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the separation device is a first separation device, and further wherein the system includes:
(i) a third support surface that is spaced-apart from the first support surface and also from the second support surface, wherein the second support surface is configured to support a first fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material, and further wherein the third support surface is configured to support a second fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material; and
(ii) a second separation device configured to separate the second fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material from the first fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material defines the strip of composite material.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein a distance between the first support surface and the second support surface is less than a distance between the first support surface and the third support surface.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system further includes a scrap bin configured to receive the second fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material subsequent to separation of the second fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material from the first fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second support surface, the third support surface, the first separation device, and the second separation device are operatively coupled together and configured to operatively translate along the support surface edge, via the conveyance structure, to at least partially concurrently define both the first fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material and the second fraction of the second portion of the sheet of composite material.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the separation device includes a circular blade and an opposed cylindrical anvil, which defines a cylindrical anvil surface.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the circular blade and the cylindrical anvil surface define a contact region therebetween, and further wherein the system is configured to extend the sheet of composite material into the contact region to separate the second portion of the sheet of composite material from the first portion of the sheet of composite material and form the strip of composite material.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the cylindrical anvil surface is a sacrificial cylindrical anvil surface, and further wherein the circular blade extends past the cylindrical anvil surface and at least partially into the opposed cylindrical anvil.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the separation device further includes at least one of:
(i) a blade drive assembly configured to operatively rotate the circular blade relative to the sheet of composite material; and
(ii) an anvil drive assembly configured to operatively rotate the cylindrical anvil relative to the sheet of composite material.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a compaction structure configured to compact the strip of composite material on the layup surface, wherein the compaction structure includes a height adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a height of the layup surface.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein a second support surface and the separation device are operatively coupled to one another to form a separation assembly, and further wherein the system includes:
(i) a floating mount configured to permit motion of the separation assembly relative to the conveyance structure in a direction that is at least substantially perpendicular to the layup surface; and
(ii) an indexing structure configured to operatively engage both the separation assembly and the layup surface to maintain an at least substantially fixed relative orientation between the separation assembly and the layup surface in the direction that is at least substantially perpendicular to the layup surface.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the indexing structure includes:
(i) a first indexing structure configured to engage against a first edge of the layup surface; and
(ii) a second indexing structure configured to engage against a second edge of the layup surface, wherein the second edge of the layup surface is opposed to the first edge of the layup surface.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further includes at least one feed roller configured to convey the strip of composite material from the separation device and toward the layup surface.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one feed roller includes a pair of opposed feed rollers configured to roll against opposed sides of the strip of composite material to convey the strip of composite material from the separation device and toward the layup surface.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one feed roller includes at least one motorized feed roller, and further wherein the system includes a feedback mechanism configured to vary a rotational velocity of the at least one motorized feed roller based, at least in part, on a linear velocity at which the conveyance structure operatively translates the separation device along the support surface edge.

20. A method of forming a radius filler for a composite structure, the method comprising:
locating a sheet of composite material on a support surface that terminates at a support surface edge;
translating the sheet of composite material such that a first portion of the sheet of composite material is supported by the support surface and a second portion of the sheet of compo

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Castorina Elise Rae Ermitano
• Lund Erik
• Boroughs Nicholas A
• Christner Matt
• Forston Gabriel Zane
• Kline William Thomas
• Wilson Thomas Dean
• Zbinden Bruno
• Bergan Dalton C
• Warren Jr Joseph Fount
• Krajca Scott Edward

Classifications

• B32B7/045

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B32B38/1808 Primary

  characterised by the laying up of the layers · CPC title

• B32B2262/101

  Glass fibres · CPC title

• B32B27/08

  of synthetic resin · CPC title

• B32B2260/046

  Synthetic resin · CPC title