Tool assembly for composite part fabrication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906253-B2
Application number	US-201816009062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2018
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A tool assembly includes a first piece, a second piece, and a fastener. The first piece has a first joint portion including a top surface and at least a first interlock surface. The second piece has a second joint portion configured to interlock with the first joint portion. The second joint portion includes a top surface and at least a second interlock surface that is complementary to the first interlock surface. The fastener extends through the first and second joint portions. The first interlock surface and the top surface of the first joint portion form an obtuse angle corner and the second interlock surface and the top surface of the second joint portion form an acute angle corner. The first interlock surface is configured to contact the second interlock surface to inhibit relative movement between the first piece and the second piece along a longitudinal axis of the tool assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tool assembly, comprising:
a first piece, comprising a first joint portion that comprises a top surface and at least a first interlock surface;
a second piece, comprising a second joint portion, configured to interlock with the first joint portion, the second joint portion comprising a second top surface and at least a second interlock surface that is complementary to the first interlock surface; and
a fastener, extending through the first joint portion and through the second joint portion, wherein:
the fastener comprises a spring-loaded device that comprises a spring oriented to compress along a first axis responsive to thermal expansion of the tool assembly;
the first axis is parallel to a first surface, defined by the top surface of the first piece;
the first interlock surface and the top surface form an obtuse-angle corner;
the second interlock surface and the second top surface form an acute-angle corner; and
the first interlock surface is configured to contact the second interlock surface to inhibit relative movement between the first piece and the second piece along a longitudinal axis of the tool assembly.

2. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fastener extends through tangs of the first joint portion and the second joint portion.

3. The tool assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more second fasteners configured to couple the first piece to the second piece.

4. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first interlock surface has a first surface portion and a second surface portion, wherein the second interlock surface has a third surface portion and a fourth surface portion, wherein the first surface portion is configured to directly couple to the third surface portion while the first interlock surface contacts the second interlock surface, and wherein the second surface portion is configured to form a gap with the fourth surface portion while the first interlock surface contacts the second interlock surface.

5. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the obtuse-angle corner is at approximately 135 degrees and the acute-angle corner is at approximately 45 degrees.

6. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first piece comprises a material that has an anisotropic coefficient of thermal expansion.

7. The tool assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive material and a joint, formed by the first joint portion and the second joint portion;
wherein:
the joint comprises one or more gaps, defined by surfaces of the first joint portion and the second joint portion;
the adhesive material is positioned in the one or more gaps; and
the adhesive material is configured to maintain vacuum integrity of the joint.

8. The tool assembly of claim 1 , further comprising composite material, coupled to a layup surface of the first piece or a layup surface of the second piece.

9. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the first joint portion of the first piece comprises a first tang;
the second joint portion of the second piece comprises a second tang; and
the first tang is in contact with the second tang.

10. The tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fastener comprises a screw, a bolt, a washer, a nut, a biasing member, or a combination thereof.

11. A tool assembly comprising:
a first piece, comprising a top surface and a first joint portion, the first joint portion comprising at least a first interlock surface;
a second piece, comprising a second joint portion, configured to interlock with the first joint portion, the second joint portion comprising a second top surface and at least a second interlock surface that is complementary to the first interlock surface;
a first fastener, extending through the first joint portion and through the second joint portion; and
a second fastener, extending through the first joint portion and through the second joint portion,
wherein:
the first fastener comprises a spring-loaded device that comprises a spring oriented to compress along a first axis responsive to thermal expansion of the tool assembly;
the first axis is parallel to a first surface, defined by the top surface of the first piece;
the first interlock surface and the top surface form an obtuse-angle corner;
the second interlock surface and the second top surface form an acute-angle corner; and
the first interlock surface is configured to contact the second interlock surface to inhibit relative movement between the first piece and the second piece along a longitudinal axis of the tool assembly.

12. The tool assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second fastener comprises a second spring-loaded device, and wherein a second spring of the second spring-loaded device is configured to compress along a second axis responsive to the thermal expansion of the tool assembly, the second axis perpendicular to the first surface defined by the top surface of the first piece.

13. The tool assembly of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the acute-angle corner or the obtuse-angle corner is a filleted corner or a chamfered corner.

14. The tool assembly of claim 11 , wherein:
the first piece further comprises a third interlock surface, a first intermediate surface, and a second intermediate surface;
the first intermediate surface and each of the first interlock surface and the second interlock surface form obtuse-angle corners; and
the second intermediate surface and the second interlock surface form another obtuse-angle corner.

15. The tool assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second piece further comprises a third joint portion, the third joint portion having a shape similar to the first joint portion or the second joint portion and configured to join with a fourth joint portion of a third piece of the tool assembly.

16. The tool assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
an adhesive material, adhering the first piece to the second piece; and/or
an annular ring seal, positioned between the first interlock surface and the second interlock surface.

17. The tool assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a support plate, configured to generate a vacuum seal between the first piece and the second piece via the annular ring seal.

18. The tool assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a vacuum bag, configured to generate a vacuum seal between the first piece and the second piece via the annular ring seal.

19. The tool assembly of claim 16 , wherein the adhesive material comprises thermoset polyimides, benzoxazine resins, bis-maleimides, thermoset polyurethanes, phenolics, vinyl esters, or a combination thereof.

20. The tool assembly of claim 16 , wherein the adhesive material is an adhesive film.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Matlack Michael P
• Polus Dylan E

Classifications

• B23P17/00 Primary

  Metal-working operations, not covered by a single other subclass or another group in this subclass · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title

• B29C33/301

  Modular mould systems [MMS], i.e. moulds built up by stacking mould elements, e.g. plates, blocks, rods (B29C33/0088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C33/3842

  Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining · CPC title

• B29C64/10

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title