Manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite component using mandrels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046034-B2
Application number	US-201615131852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 18, 2016
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A method includes disposing fibrous material with a first mandrel, a second mandrel and a first mold section, the first mandrel including a first base, the second mandrel including a second base, and the first mold section including a support surface; arranging the first base on the support surface; arranging the second base on the support surface adjacent a first side of the first base, the arranging including moving the second base along a first trajectory that is substantially coincident with a corner between the first side of the first base and the support surface; arranging a second mold section with the first mold section to provide a mold, where the first mandrel and the second mandrel are between the first and the second mold sections; injecting resin into the mold to engage the fibrous material; and curing the resin to form a composite component.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite component, comprising:
disposing fibrous material with a first mandrel, a second mandrel and a first mold section, the first mandrel including a first base, the second mandrel including a second base, and the first mold section including a support surface;
arranging the first base on the support surface;
arranging the second base on the support surface adjacent a first side of the first base, the arranging the second base comprising moving the second base along a first trajectory that is substantially coincident with a corner between the first side of the first base and the support surface, wherein the second base is moved along the first trajectory using a guide that translatably connects the second base with the first mold section, and wherein the guide is secured to the second base by an interference fit between the guide and the second base;
removing the guide from the second base and the first mold section;
arranging a second mold section with the first mold section to provide a mold after the guide is removed, wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel are between the first and the second mold sections;
injecting resin into the mold to engage the fibrous material; and
curing the resin to form the fiber-reinforced composite component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first trajectory is offset from the support surface by an acute angle.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acute angle is a first acute angle, and the arranging of the first base comprises moving the first base along a second trajectory that is offset from the support surface by a second acute angle.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first acute angle is substantially equal to the second acute angle.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the arranging of the first base comprises moving the first base along a second trajectory that is offset from the support surface by a right angle.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
arranging a third base of a third mandrel on the support surface adjacent a second side of the first base, the arranging comprising moving the third base along a second trajectory that is substantially coincident with a corner between the second side of the first base and the support surface;
wherein the second side is opposed to the first side, the disposing comprises disposing the fibrous material with the third mandrel, and the third mandrel is between the first and the second mold sections.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first trajectory is offset from the support surface by a first acute angle, and the second trajectory is offset from the support surface by a second acute angle.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first acute angle is substantially equal to the second acute angle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the guide comprises a guide pin.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the guide projects into a first aperture that extends into the second base, the guide is mated with a second aperture in the first mold section, and the moving the second base along the first trajectory comprises sliding the guide within the second aperture.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the guide is one of a plurality of guides that translatably connect the second base with the first mold section, and the guides are used in the moving of the second base along the first trajectory.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
arranging the second mandrel with a mandrel handling fixture;
wherein the mandrel handling fixture is configured to rotate the second mandrel along an axis, change a vertical position of the second mandrel relative to the mandrel handling fixture, and translate the second base along the first trajectory;
wherein the fibrous material is disposed with the second mandrel while the second mandrel is arranged with the mandrel handling fixture; and
wherein the second base is moved along the first trajectory using the mandrel handling fixture.

13. A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite component, comprising:
disposing fibrous material with a first mandrel, a second mandrel and a first mold section;
arranging the first mandrel with the first mold section;
arranging the second mandrel with the first mold section such that the fibrous material disposed with the second mandrel substantially simultaneously contacts the fibrous material disposed with the first mandrel and the first mold section;
using one or more guide pins during the arranging of the second mandrel with the first mold section, wherein the one or more guide pins are removably fixedly secured to the second mandrel, wherein a first of the one or more pins is arranged within a first aperture in the second mandrel that extends into the second mandrel from a surface of the second mandrel configured to contact the first mold section, and wherein the first of the one or more pins is configured to translate within a second aperture in the first mold section;
arranging a second mold section with the first mold section to form a mold, wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel are between the first and the second mold sections;
injecting resin into the mold to engage the fibrous material, wherein the one or more guide pins are removed before the resin is injected into the mold; and
curing the resin to form the fiber-reinforced composite component.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the arranging of the second mandrel comprises moving the second mandrel along a first trajectory that is substantially coincident with a corner between the first mandrel and the first mold section.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the arranging of the first mandrel comprises moving the first mandrel along a second trajectory to the first mold section, and wherein the second trajectory is non-parallel with the first trajectory.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
disposing fibrous material with a third mandrel; and
arranging the third mandrel with the first mold section such that the fibrous material disposed with the third mandrel substantially simultaneously contacts the fibrous material disposed with the second mandrel and the first mold section;
wherein the third mandrel is between the first and the second mold sections.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
arranging the second mandrel with a mandrel handling fixture;
wherein the mandrel handling fixture is configured to rotate the second mandrel along an axis, change a vertical position of the second mandrel relative to the mandrel handling fixture, and translate the second base along the first trajectory;
wherein the fibrous material is disposed with the second mandrel while the second mandrel is arranged with the mandrel handling fixture; and
wherein the second mandrel is arranged with the first mold section using the mandrel handling fixture.

18. A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite component, the method comprising:
disposing fibrous material with a first mandrel, a second mandrel and a first mold section, the first mandrel including a first base, the second mandrel including a second base, and the first mold section including a support surface;
arranging the first base on the support surface;
arranging the second base on the support surface adjacent a first side of the first base, the arranging comprising moving the second base along a first trajectory that is substantially coincident with a corner between the first side of the first base and the support surface, wherein

Assignees

• Rohr Inc

Inventors

• Fiegl Michael S

Classifications

• B29C70/48 Primary

  and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM] {, e.g. by vacuum} · CPC title

• B29C33/123

  for centering the inserts · CPC title

• B29K2105/0872

  Prepregs · CPC title

• B29C33/12

  with incorporated means for positioning inserts, e.g. labels {(positioning reinforcements B29C70/541)} · CPC title

• B29C70/543 Primary

  Fixing the position or configuration of fibrous reinforcements before or during moulding (for non-woven fabrics D04H3/08) · CPC title