Method and apparatus of modular punch forming plates for alignment of a stringer for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864688-B2
Application number	US-201815963193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2018
Priority date	Apr 26, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Methods and devices of fabricating a stringer for a vehicle. The stringer can be constructed from two charges that are formed together into the stringer. During fabricating, the ends of the charges can be formed in a die cavity. When the ends are misaligned in the die cavity, one of the charges can be moved in the die cavity to align the ends. The device used for fabricating the charges can include a punch with separate punch plates that move the ends of the charges into the die cavity. The punch plates can be separately moved to adjust the position of the charges and align the ends.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a composite stringer for a vehicle, the method comprising:
positioning first and second charges at a die cavity formed between first and second form blocks;
inserting a first punch plate of a punch into the die cavity and driving a first end of the first charge along the first form block and into the die cavity;
inserting a second punch plate of the punch into the die cavity and driving a first end of the second charge along the second form block and into the die cavity;
moving the first punch plate relative to the second punch plate when the first ends are misaligned and moving the first charge relative to the first form block and aligning the first ends of the first and second charges in the die cavity;
when the first ends are aligned in the die cavity, forming flanges at second ends of the first and second charges;
moving the first and second punch plates out of the die cavity; and
compressing the first and second charges between the first and second form blocks.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adhering the first charge to the first punch plate to prevent relative movement between the first charge and the first punch plate and moving the first charge along the first form block while driving the first end of the first charge into the die cavity.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising adhering the second charge to the second punch plate to prevent relative movement between the second charge and the second punch plate and moving the second charge along the second form block while driving the first end of the second charge into the die cavity.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating the first and second charges prior to driving the first ends of the first and second charges into the die cavity.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the first punch plate against the second punch plate while moving the first punch plate into the die cavity.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising simultaneously inserting the first and second punch plates into the die cavity.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning material sheets on each of the first and second form blocks prior to inserting the first and second charges into the die cavity, the material sheets having a lower adherence value relative to the first and second charges than the first and second punch plates.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the first punch plate relative to the second punch plate and moving the first charge relative to the first form block and aligning the first ends of the first and second charges in the die cavity comprises moving each of the first punch plate and the first end of the first charge farther into the die cavity.

9. A method of fabricating a composite stringer for a vehicle, the method comprising:
positioning first and second charges over a die cavity formed between first and second form blocks;
contacting the first and second charges with a punch and driving a first end of each of the first and second charges into the die cavity;
when the first ends are misaligned in the die cavity, moving a first section of the punch that is adhered to the first charge relative to a second section of the punch that is adhered to the second charge and moving the first charge and aligning the first end of the first charge with the first end of the second charge in the die cavity;
forming flanges with second end sections of the first and second charges;
removing the punch from the die cavity; and
compressing together the charges in the die cavity.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising positioning a material sheet on each of the first and second form blocks with the material sheets having a lower adherence value than surfaces of the first and second form blocks to prevent adherence of the first charge to the first form block and the second charge to the second form block when the first ends of the first and second charges are driven into the die cavity and aligned.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sliding the first charge against the material sheet on the first form block and sliding the second charge against the material sheet on the second form block while driving the first ends of each of the first and second charges into the die cavity.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein contacting the first and second charges with the punch and driving the first ends of each of the first and second charges into the die cavity comprises contacting a first punch plate section against the first charge and driving the first charge into the die cavity and separately contacting a second punch plate section against the second charge and driving the second charge into the die cavity.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the first section of the punch that is adhered to the first charge relative to a second section of the punch that is adhered to the second charge and moving the first charge and aligning the first end of the first charge with the first end of the second charge in the die cavity comprises moving the first section of the punch farther into the die cavity and moving the first end of the first charge farther into the die cavity.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising displaying on a display monitor relative positions of the first ends of the first and second charges in the die cavity.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising elevating the first and second punch plates above the die cavity while loading the first and second charges onto the first and second form blocks.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the second ends of the first and second charges out of the die cavity while driving the first ends of the first and second charges into the die cavity.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the first punch plate into the die cavity an additional amount more than the second punch plate and aligning the first end of the first charge with the first end of the second charge.

18. The method of claim 9 , further comprising aligning the first ends of the first and second charges in the die cavity prior to forming the flanges.

19. The method of claim 9 , further comprising heating the first and second charges prior to driving the first ends of the first and second charges into the die cavity.

20. The method of claim 9 , wherein aligning the first end of the first charge with the first end of the second charge in the die cavity comprises moving the first charge an additional amount in the die cavity than the second punch.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Shinozaki John Makoto

Classifications

• B29C33/308 Primary

  Adjustable moulds (for injection moulding B29C45/376) · CPC title

• B29D99/0003

  Producing profiled members, e.g. beams · CPC title

• B29C70/461

  Rigid movable compressing mould parts acting independently from opening or closing action of the main mould · CPC title

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title