Lattice reinforced radius filler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10695958-B2
Application number	US-201414304509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method and apparatus for forming a radius filler. A lattice is formed of connecting elongate members having a three-dimensional shape of the radius filler. A resin is placed within the lattice.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a radius filler, the method comprising:
forming a lattice comprising a three-dimensional shape of the radius filler via connecting, during additive manufacturing, elongate members in an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis;
placing the lattice within a void in a tool;
infusing the lattice with a resin, wherein the tool is configured to allow the resin to flow from a nozzle to the lattice located in the void until the resin infuses the lattice and fills the void;
removing the lattice, retaining the resin infused within the lattice, from the tool, the resin comprising a viscosity causing the resin to stay within the lattice; and
placing the lattice with the resin in layers of composite material for a composite part.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
identifying the three-dimensional shape based on a shape of a channel in a part in which the radius filler is to be placed.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
identifying a number of desired performance parameters for the radius filler; and
selecting a material for the resin, or a design of the lattice based on the number of desired performance parameters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming step comprises:
performing at least one of sintering a material or printing the material to form the lattice.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
curing the lattice with the resin and the layers of composite material for the composite part to form the composite part.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
curing the resin in the lattice; and
curing the layers of composite material for the composite part after curing the resin.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the number of desired performance parameters is selected from at least one of a load, a coefficient of thermal expansion, toughness, fracture resistance, stiffness, or strength.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a geometry of the elongate members in the lattice distributes loads in directions of an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis for the radius filler in which the z-axis extends centrally through the radius filler.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designing the lattice using parameters comprising at least one of: dimensions, positions, and materials, for the lattice to achieve a desired performance.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the elongate members comprising a metal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the metal is selected from one of titanium, steel, aluminum, Invar, and a metal alloy.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising connections of some of the elongate members forming a shape selected from a group comprising: a triangle, a pyramid, a rectangle, a diamond, a pentagon, and a hexagon.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resin is selected from one of: a thermoplastic polymer, a thermoset polymer, an epoxy, a bis-maleimide resin, a polyamide, polyurethane, plastic, a metal, a shape memory polymer resin, and a polyester resin.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lattice is selected from one of: a grid, a space frame, a Bravis lattice, and interconnected spring shapes.

15. A method for filling a void at a joint joining layers of composite material in a composite part, the method comprising:
forming a lattice comprising a three-dimensional shape of the radius filler via connecting, during additive manufacturing, elongate members in an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis;
placing the lattice within a void in a tool;
infusing the lattice with a resin, wherein the tool is configured to allow the resin to flow from a nozzle to the lattice located in the void until the resin infuses the lattice and fills the void;
removing the lattice, retaining the resin infused within the lattice, from the tool, the resin comprising a viscosity causing the resin to stay within the lattice; and
placing the lattice with the resin in the layers of composite material for the composite part.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising identifying the three-dimensional shape based on a shape of a channel in a part in which the radius filler is to be placed.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising performing at least one of sintering a material or printing the material to form the lattice.

18. A method for preventing cracking of a radius filler or layers at a joint in a composite part, the method comprising:
forming a lattice comprising a three-dimensional shape of the radius filler via connecting, during additive manufacturing, elongate members in an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis;
placing the lattice within a void in a tool;
infusing the lattice with a resin, wherein the tool is configured to allow the resin to flow from a nozzle to the lattice located in the void until the resin infuses the lattice and fills the void;
removing the lattice, retaining the resin infused within the lattice, from the tool, the resin comprising a viscosity causing the resin to stay within the lattice; and
placing the lattice with the resin in layers of composite material for the composite part.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising identifying the three-dimensional shape based on a shape of a channel in a part in which the radius filler is to be placed.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising performing at least one of sintering a material or printing the material to form the lattice.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Thomas Charles William
• Stephenson Benjamin Jeffrey

Classifications

• B29C39/10 Primary

  incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. casting around inserts or for coating articles {(coating a surface by casting in general B05D1/30, B29C39/126 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B22F10/60

  Treatment of workpieces or articles after build-up · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B29C64/153 Primary

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B64C1/064

  Stringers; Longerons · CPC title