Composite wing panels and fabrication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12097973-B2
Application number	US-202117454267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2021
Priority date	Nov 18, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

Wing panels having composite wing skins and stringers are produced on a moving production line. The wing panels are formed on mandrels that move through workstations along the production line where laminators layup the wing skins and pick-and-place machines place stringers on the wing skins that are supplied by stringer feeder lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making composite wing panels for aircraft, comprising:
moving a plurality of mandrels along a production line of serially arranged workstations;
laying up composite wing skins on the mandrels at a lamination workstation along the production line as the mandrels move through the lamination workstation;
placing composite stringers on the composite wing skins at a stringer placement workstation along the production line; and
moving the mandrels along the production line through the lamination workstation and the stringer placement workstation according to takt times that result in a desired wing panel production rate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the mandrels through the serially arranged workstations is performed by moving the mandrels continuously along the production line.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the mandrels through the lamination workstation and through the stringer placement workstation is performed incrementally.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein moving the mandrels incrementally includes pulsing the mandrels along the production line.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein laying up the wing skins and placing the stringers is performed between pulses during the pulsing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein laying up the composite wing skins on the mandrels at the lamination workstation includes laying up different sections of the composite wing skins respectively using separate laminators at the lamination workstation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein laying up the composite wing skins is carried out in separate lamination workstations along the production line.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins is carried out in separate stringer placement workstations along the production line.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins includes using multiple placement machines to place sections of the composite stringers on the composite wing skins.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
producing the composite stringers along a stringer feeder line; and
feeding the composite stringers from the stringer feeder line to the stringer placement workstation, just-in-time.

11. The method of claim 1 , including indexing the mandrels to the lamination workstation and to the stringer placement workstation such that the composite wing skins are laid up at indexed positions on the mandrels and the composite stringers are placed at indexed positions on the composite wing skins.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the indexing includes:
placing at least one indexing feature on at least one of the mandrels and the composite wing skins; and
detecting the indexing feature.

13. A method of making wing panels for aircraft, comprising:
moving mandrels along a production line through at least one lamination workstation and at least one stringer placement workstation arranged serially;
indexing the mandrels to the lamination workstation and;
laying up composite wing skins respectively on the mandrels at the lamination workstation as the mandrels move through the lamination workstation;
synchronizing moving of the mandrels through the lamination workstation with laying up the composite wing skins using the indexing of the mandrels to the lamination workstation;
indexing the mandrels to the stringer placement workstation;
placing composite stringers respectively on the composite wing skins at the stringer placement workstation; and
synchronizing moving the mandrels through the stringer placement workstation with placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins using the indexing of the mandrels to the stringer placement workstation.

14. A method of making wing panels for aircraft, comprising:
moving a plurality of mandrels along a production line of serially arranged workstations;
laying up composite wing skins respectively on the plurality of mandrels as the mandrels move through a lamination workstation;
fabricating a plurality of composite stringers on a stringer feeder line;
moving the plurality of mandrels along the production line through a stringer placement workstation;
feeding the composite stringers from the stringer feeder line to the stringer placement workstation; and
placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins at the stringer placement workstation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein moving the mandrels through the serially arranged workstations is performed by moving the mandrels continuously along the production line.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein moving the mandrels through the lamination workstation and through the stringer placement workstation is performed incrementally.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein moving the mandrels incrementally includes pulsing the mandrels along the production line.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein laying up the wing skins and placing the stringers is performed between pulses during the pulsing.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein laying up the composite wing skins on the mandrels includes laying up different sections of the composite wing skins respectively using separate laminators at the lamination workstation.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein laying up the composite wing skins is carried out in separate lamination workstations along the production line.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins is carried out in separate stringer placement workstations along the production line.

22. The method of claim 14 , wherein placing the composite stringers on the composite wing skins includes using multiple placement machines to place sections of the composite stringers on the composite wing skins.

23. The method of claim 14 , including indexing the mandrels to the lamination workstation and to the stringer placement workstation such that the composite wing skins are laid up at indexed positions on the mandrels and the composite stringers are placed at indexed positions on the composite wing skins.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the indexing includes:
placing at least one indexing feature on at least one of the mandrels and the composite wing skins; and
detecting the indexing feature.

25. A method of making wing skins for aircraft, comprising:
moving layup mandrels along a production line of serially arranged workstations; and
laying up different sections of a wing skin on the layup mandrels, respectively using different laminators as the layup mandrels move along the production line through the different laminators to lay down composite material continuously without interruption as the layup mandrels are moving.

26. A method of making wing panels for aircraft, comprising:
moving a plurality of mandrels along a production line of serially arranged workstations;
laying up composite wing skins on the mandrels as the mandrels move through a lamination workstation; and
placing stringer preforms on the composite wing skins at a stringer placement workstation along the production line as the composite wing skins move along the production line.

27. A method of making different wing panels for aircraft, comprising:
moving a plurality of mandrels along a production line of serially arranged workstations;
laying up different composite wing skins on

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Smith Daniel R
• Jones Darrell Darwin

Classifications

• B64C3/182

  Stringers, longerons · CPC title

• B29C70/30 Primary

  Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core · CPC title

• B29L2031/3085

  Wings · CPC title

• B64C3/26

  Construction, shape, or attachment of separate skins, e.g. panels · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title