Method and assembly for manufacturing door skin and wall with doorway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179438-B2
Application number	US-201615273775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 23, 2016
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a door skin and a fuselage wall having a doorway and a member extending into the doorway for abutting the door includes placing a first sheet of uncured composite material on a mold plate to define the door and fuselage skin, disposing an insert over the first sheet overlapping a desired periphery of the door, placing a second sheet of uncured composite material on a peripheral portion of the insert and over the first sheet adjacent the peripheral portion of the insert to form the member, curing the sheets and bonding the sheets together adjacent the insert during the cure, removing the insert from between the sheets after cure, and separating the door skin from the wall skin after cure by moving a cutting tool through the first sheet and without penetrating the second sheet around the desired periphery of the door. An assembly for manufacturing the door skin and a fuselage wall is also discussed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a door skin of a door and a fuselage wall having a doorway configured to receive the door, the fuselage wall including a member extending into the doorway for abutting the door, the method comprising:
placing a first sheet of uncured composite material on a mold plate to define the door skin and a skin of the fuselage wall around the doorway;
disposing an insert over the first sheet, the insert overlapping a desired periphery of the door;
placing a second sheet of uncured composite material on a peripheral portion of the insert and over the first sheet adjacent the peripheral portion of the insert to form the member;
curing the first and second sheets, the first and second sheets bonding together adjacent the peripheral portion of the insert during the cure;
after the cure, removing the insert from between the first and second sheets; and
after the cure, separating the door skin from the skin of the fuselage wall by moving a cutting tool through the first sheet and without penetrating the second sheet, the cutting tool moving around the desired periphery of the door.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the member is a frame member including a sill, a header, and opposed jambs.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the insert includes a central portion, the peripheral portion forming a closed perimeter extending around the central portion, the peripheral and central portions being detachably interconnected, the peripheral portion including a plurality of interconnected parts.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the second sheet is placed on the peripheral portion without overlaying the central portion.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein placing the second sheet on the peripheral portion of the insert and over the first sheet adjacent the peripheral portion is performed around a complete perimeter of the peripheral portion.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein curing the first and second sheets is performed by heating the first and second sheets in a pressurized atmosphere.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein placing the first sheet is performed by automated fiber deposition.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein moving the cutting tool is performed by moving a numerically controlled router through the first sheet around the desired periphery of the door.

9. A method of manufacturing a door skin of a door and a wall having a doorway configured to receive the door, the wall including a member extending into the doorway for abutting the door, the method comprising:
placing a first composite material on a mold plate configured to define a first surface of the door skin and of a skin of the wall, the first composite material being uncured;
disposing an insert on the first composite material with a first mold surface of the insert against the first composite material, the first mold surface configured to define a second surface of the door skin, the insert having an opposed second mold surface configured to define the member, the insert overlapping a desired periphery of the door;
disposing a second composite material on the second mold surface of the insert and on the first composite material adjacent the insert, the second composite material being uncured;
curing the first and second composite materials to respectively form first and second cured sheets, wherein contacting portions of the first and second composite materials bond together during cure;
removing the insert from between the first and second cured sheets; and
separating the door skin from the skin of the wall by moving a cutting tool through the first cured sheet and without penetrating the second cured sheet, the cutting tool moving around the desired periphery of the door.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the insert includes a central portion and a peripheral portion extending around the central portion and detachably connected thereto, the peripheral portion including a plurality of interconnected parts.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second mold surface of the insert is defined by the peripheral portion and extends around a complete perimeter of the peripheral portion, the second composite material being placed on the second mold surface and on the first composite material adjacent the second mold surface around the complete perimeter of the peripheral portion.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second material is placed on the insert without overlaying the central portion.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein placing the first composite material is performed by automated fiber deposition.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein moving the cutting tool is performed by moving a numerically controlled router around the desired periphery of the door through the first cured sheet.

Assignees

• Bell Helicopter Textron Inc

Inventors

• Tessier Sylvain
• Gingras Richard
• Dionne Jacques
• Linington Bryan

Classifications

• B64F5/10

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title

• B29L2031/724

  Doors · CPC title

• B29C2793/009

  after shaping · CPC title

• B29C2793/0018

  for making a hole · CPC title