Co-cured UV/visible light-resistant coated composite material for aircraft fuselage assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12377949-B2
Application number	US-202318171514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2023
Priority date	Mar 30, 2022
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

Co-curable and co-cured UV/visible light-resistant coated UV/visible light composite structural material substrates, and aircraft fuselages comprising co-cured UV/visible light-resistant coated composite material substrates and methods of their manufacture are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A co-curable composite material fuselage assembly comprising:
a co-curable composite material substrate, said co-curable composite material substrate comprising a co-curable composite material substrate first side and a co-curable composite material substrate second side;
a co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer, said co-curable UV-resistant coating layer comprising a co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer first side and a co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer second side, only said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer configured to be in immediate contact with at least one of the co-curable composite material substrate first side and the co-cured composite material substrate second side, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer consisting of a single ply layer co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer exclusively imparting 100% of a degree of UV/visible light protection imparted to the co-curable composite material substrate by the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer comprising at least one of fiberglass fibers, carbon fibers, polyester fibers, aramid fibers, boron fibers, quartz, and combinations thereof;
wherein the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer has a UV/visible light transmittance value of 0% to about 20% for UV/visible light wavelengths ranging from about 200 nm to about 800 nm when the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer comprises an average thickness ranging from about 2 mils to about 6 mils;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate in combination with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer is configured to form a co-curable composite material fuselage assembly;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate is co-curable with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer at a temperature ranging from about 250° F. to about 410° F. to form a co-cured composite material fuselage assembly in a co-cured state;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate second side is in direct contact with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer first side;
wherein the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer completely covers the co-curable composite material substrate second side; and
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate assembly does not contain an additional UV/visible light-resistant layer.

2. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate further comprises a fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix.

3. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 2 , wherein the fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix comprises at least one of carbon fibers, boron fibers, aramid fibers, fiberglass fibers, polyester fibers, and combinations thereof.

4. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises a carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

5. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises a plurality of carbon fiber reinforced polymer prepregs.

6. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises an outer mold line.

7. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises an inner mold line.

8. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises both an outer mold line and an inner mold line.

9. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material fuselage assembly is configured to form a co-cured composite material fuselage assembly exterior in the co-cured state.

10. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material fuselage assembly is configured to form a co-cured composite material fuselage assembly interior in the co-cured state.

11. The co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 , wherein the co-curable composite material substrate comprises at least one of an outer mold line and an inner mold line.

12. A vehicle comprising the co-curable composite material fuselage assembly of claim 1 in a co-cured state.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of:
a crewed aircraft, an uncrewed aircraft, a crewed spacecraft, an uncrewed spacecraft, a crewed rotorcraft, an uncrewed rotorcraft, a crewed terrestrial vehicle, an uncrewed terrestrial vehicle, a crewed surface water borne vehicle, an uncrewed waterborne vehicle, a crewed sub-surface water borne vehicle, an uncrewed sub-surface water borne vehicle, a satellite, and combinations thereof.

14. A method comprising:
providing a co-curable composite material substrate, said co-curable composite material substrate comprising a co-curable composite material substrate first side and a co-curable composite material substrate second side;
providing a co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer onto said co-curable composite material substrate second side, only said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer configured to be in immediate contact with at least one of the co-curable composite material substrate first side and the co-cured composite material substrate second side, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer consisting of a single ply layer co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer exclusively imparting 100% of a degree of UV/visible light protection imparted to the co-curable composite material substrate by the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer comprising at least one of fiberglass fibers, carbon fibers, polyester fibers, aramid fibers, boron fibers, quartz, and combinations thereof, said co-curable UV/visible light-resistant layer having a UV/visible light transmittance value of 0% to about 20% for UV/visible light wavelengths ranging from about 200 nm to about 800 nm when the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer comprises an average thickness ranging from about 2 mils to about 6 mils;
applying the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer onto said co-curable composite material substrate second side;
co-curing the co-curable composite substrate material substrate with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer to form a co-cured composite material fuselage assembly in a co-cured state;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate is co-curable with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer at a temperature ranging from about 250° F. to about 410° F. to form a co-cured composite material fuselage assembly in a co-cured state;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate second side is in direct contact with the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer first side;
wherein the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant coating layer completely covers the co-curable composite material substrate second side;
wherein the co-curable composite material substrate assembly does not contain an additional UV/visible light-resistant layer; and
wherein the co-curable UV/visible light-resistant

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Adjorlolo Alain A
• Ackerman Patrice K
• Bolles Jason A

Classifications

• C08K7/06

  Elements · CPC title

• C08L2205/16

  Fibres; Fibrils · CPC title

• C09D7/70 Primary

  characterised by shape, e.g. fibres, flakes or microspheres · CPC title

• B64C2001/0072

  from composite materials · CPC title

• C08L63/00

  Compositions of epoxy resins; Compositions of derivatives of epoxy resins · CPC title