Method of extracting mandrel for hollow-hat panel production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059236-B2
Application number	US-202016904185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A panel may be formed with mandrels inside of stiffening members. The panel may be coupled to a panel holding jig. A winch may be coupled to the mandrels. The winch may pull the mandrels out of the stiffening members and into curved tracks.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of manufacturing a composite panel with at least one stiffening member formed around a removable mandrel comprising:
forming a cured composite panel by co-curing a skin and a hollow stiffening member so that they form a unitary structure;
coupling the cured composite panel to a panel holding jig;
coupling a clamp to the removable mandrel situated between the skin of the cured composite panel and the hollow stiffening member, the removable mandrel being supported on a curved track; and
operating a winch to extract the removable mandrel from the cured composite panel, the removable mandrel maintaining a curved shape while the removable mandrel is extracted.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pulling the removable mandrel into the curved track.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting a height of the curved track.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising clamping the cured composite panel to the panel holding jig.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pulling a plurality of mandrels from the cured composite panel simultaneously using the winch.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating the winch with a hand crank.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the winch comprises a plurality of spools.

Assignees

• Rohr Inc

Inventors

• Neo Mong Phing
• Sridharakannan Chittibabu
• Tan Ling Jie Jae
• Wong Yew Tuck

Classifications

• B29C33/442 Primary

  with mechanical ejector or drive means therefor · CPC title

• B29C33/485

  cores or mandrels (collapsible mandrels for shaping tube ends B29C57/02; collapsible mandrels for winding and joining B29C53/824) · CPC title

• B29C70/54 Primary

  Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations {, e.g. feeding or storage of prepregs or SMC after impregnation or during ageing} · CPC title

• B29C66/005

  Detaching the article from the joining tool · CPC title

• B64F5/10

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title