System and method for curing polymer matrix composite parts in manufacturing and repairing processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507622-B2
Application number	US-201715726816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2017
Priority date	Oct 7, 2016
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A system for curing polymer matrix composite parts out of autoclave in manufacturing and repairing processes including: (i) an inner vacuum bag (3) placed over the lay-up to be cured located over a working area (15, 18) with the edges of the inner vacuum bag (3) joined to the working area by first sealing elements (8); (ii) a Perforated bulkhead (4) located over the inner vacuum bag (3), (iii) an Outer vacuum bag (2) over a perforated bulkhead (4) and over the edges of the inner vacuum bag with the edges of the outer vacuum bag (2) joined to the working area (15, 18) by second sealing elements (1), (iv) a vacuum device (5, 7, 6) and (v) a heating source (9, 20).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for curing a polymer matrix composite lay-up which comprises:
an inner vacuum bag placed over the lay-up to be cured located over a working area with edges of the inner vacuum bag joined to the working area by at least one first sealing element, wherein the working area is at least one of a repairing area and a manufacturing area;
a perforated bulkhead located over the inner vacuum bag, wherein the bulkhead includes a cover over the working area and sides extending down from the cover towards the working area, wherein the sides are offset from a horizontal plane that includes at least a portion of the cover, and the sides include a lowermost edge seated on the inner vacuum bag inward of the edges of the inner vacuum bag;
an outer vacuum bag placed over the perforated bulkhead and over the edges of the inner vacuum bag, wherein edges of the outer vacuum bag are joined to the working area by at least one second sealing element and wherein the edges of the inner vacuum bag are sandwiched between the outer vacuum bag and the at least one first sealing element;
a vacuum device located over the working area so that the outer vacuum bag presses both the edges of the inner vacuum bag and the first sealant element in a first step of a curing process, wherein a vacuum pressure is applied both to the inner vacuum bag and to the outer vacuum bag, and
a heating source located outside the outer vacuum bag or below the inner vacuum bag.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the working area is a repairing area of a polymer matrix composite part which comprises a patch of a polymer matrix composite lay-up and a first ancillary material is placed over the patch.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the heating source includes a heating element placed under the inner vacuum bag and over the patch and the first ancillary material.

4. The system according to claim 2 wherein the heating source is an oven located outside the outer vacuum bag.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the working area is a metal plate manufacturing area.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the polymer matrix composite lay-up is placed over the working area and ancillary materials are placed over the lay-up.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the heating source is a heating element placed below the inner vacuum bag and between the polymer matrix composite lay-up and the working area.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein over the heating element a metal plate is disposed.

9. The system according to claim 6 wherein the heating source is the working area.

10. The system according to claim 6 wherein the heating source is an oven, located outside the outer vacuum bag.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum device includes:
a first vacuum port connected to the inner vacuum bag and the first vacuum port is configured to regulate pressure in the inner vacuum bag, and
a second vacuum port attached to the outer vacuum bag and the second vacuum port is configured to regulate pressure in the outer vacuum bag.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the first vacuum port includes a tubular element located under the outer and inner vacuum bags, and over the first and second sealing elements, and the tubular element is attached to the outer and inner vacuum bag by third and fourth sealing elements.

13. A method for curing a polymer matrix composite lay-up comprising:
positioning an inner vacuum bag on a working area, wherein a first seal is between an outer edge region of the inner vacuum bag and the working area;
positioning a lowermost edge of sides of a perforated bulkhead on the inner vacuum bag such that the lower edge is inward on the inner vacuum bag of the outer edge region, wherein the perforated bulkhead includes a cover over the working area and the sides extending down from the cover towards the working area and the sides are offset from a horizontal plane that includes at least a portion of the cover;
positioning an outer vacuum bag over the perforated bulkhead and the inner vacuum bag such that the outer edge region of the inner vacuum bag is sandwiched between the outer vacuum bag and the first seal;
applying vacuum pressure both to the inner vacuum bag and to the outer vacuum bag, wherein the vacuum pressure applied in the outer vacuum bag is in a range of 6-10 mbar higher than pressure in the inner vacuum bag, to evacuate gases and balloon the inner vacuum bag against the perforated bulkhead while the outer vacuum bag presses edges of the inner vacuum bag against the working area;
heating the working area through a heating source located either outside the outer vacuum bag or below the inner vacuum bag, and
releasing a vacuum in the outer vacuum bag while applying a vacuum to the inner vacuum bag to assist in compaction of a lay-up during a cure cycle.

14. A system for curing a polymer matrix composite lay-up which comprises:
a working area configured to receive the polymer matrix composite lay-up;
an inner vacuum bag having edges;
a first sealing element sandwiched between the edges of the inner vacuum bag and the working area, wherein the first sealing element, the inner vacuum bag and the working area form a first sealed volume between the inner vacuum bag and the working area and which includes the polymer matrix composite layup;
a perforated bulkhead positioned over the inner vacuum bag and over the polymer matrix composite lay-up, wherein the perforated bulkhead includes a cover over the working area and sides extending down from the cover towards the working area, wherein the sides are offset from a horizontal plane that includes at least a portion of the cover, and the sides include a lowermost edge seated on the inner vacuum bag inward of the edges of the inner vacuum bag;
an outer vacuum bag placed over the perforated bulkhead, wherein the outer vacuum bag has edges, wherein the edges of the inner vacuum bag are sandwiched between the outer vacuum bag and the first sealing element;
a second sealing element sandwiched between the edges of the outer vacuum bag and the working area, wherein the second sealing element, the outer vacuum bag and the working area form a second sealed volume between the outer vacuum bag and the inner vacuum bag with the perforated bulkhead within the second sealed volume;
a first vacuum source coupled to extract gasses from the first sealed volume;
a second vacuum source coupled to extract gasses from the second sealed volume, wherein the second vacuum source is configured to create a greater vacuum in the second sealed volume than the vacuum created in the first sealed volume by the first vacuum source, and
a heating source configured to heat the polymer matrix composite lay-up located outside the outer vacuum bag or below the inner vacuum bag.

15. A method comprising:
positioning a polymer matrix composite lay-up on an upper surface of a working area;
applying an inner vacuum bag over the polymer matrix composite lay-up;
sealing a region of the inner vacuum bag to the working area by placing a first sealing element between an outer edge region of the inner vacuum bag and the working area, wherein the region circumscribes the polymer matrix composite lay-up and the sealing forms a first sealed volume between the inner vacuum bag, the first sealing element and the working area which includes the polymer matrix composite lay-up;
positioning a perforated bulkhead over the inner vacuum bag and over the polymer matrix composite lay-up such that a lowermost edge of side walls of the perforated bulkhea

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sl

Inventors

• Cuenca Rincon Jose
• Salamero Laorden Juan
• Rodriguez-Bellido Ana Teresa

Classifications

• B29C70/44 Primary

  using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding · CPC title

• B29C73/10

  using patches sealing on the surface of the article (B29C73/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B32B37/0046

  characterised by constructional aspects of the apparatus · CPC title

• B29K2063/00

  Use of {EP, i.e.} epoxy resins {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title

• B32B37/1018

  using only vacuum · CPC title