Property prediction for unconsolidated composite materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422831-B2
Application number	US-202217811433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2022
Priority date	Jul 8, 2022
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for manufacturing an unconsolidated composite material. Sensor data is received from a sensor system for a composite material manufacturing system, wherein the sensor data is received during manufacturing of the unconsolidated composite material by the composite material manufacturing system. A set of predicted properties is determined for a number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material as completed from manufacturing by the composite material manufacturing system using the sensor data. A quality level for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material is identified based on the set of predicted properties for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composite material management system comprising:
a computer system;
a composite material manager in the computer system, wherein the composite material manager is configured to:
receive sensor data from a sensor system for a composite material manufacturing system, wherein the sensor data is received during manufacturing of an unconsolidated composite material by the composite material manufacturing system;
determine a set of predicted properties for a number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material as completed from manufacturing by the composite material manufacturing system using the sensor data;
identify a quality level for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material based on the set of predicted properties for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material; and
manufacture the unconsolidated composite material using the composite material manufacturing system comprising
perform a corrective action based in response to the set of predicted properties and
adjust a set of parameters in the composite material manufacturing system to change the set of predicted properties.

2. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein the composite material manager is configured to:
perform a marking action based on the quality level identified for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material.

3. The composite material management system of claim 2 , wherein performing the marking action based on the quality level identified for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material, the composite material manager is configured to:
mark the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material in as unusable based on the quality level for the portion being out of a tolerance.

4. The composite material management system of claim 3 , wherein the composite material manufacturing system is one of a carbon fiber prepreg coating line, a reinforcing fiber resin impregnation line, a resin mix process system, a resin filming line, a prepreg system, and a slitting process system.

5. The composite material management system of claim 2 , wherein performing the marking action based on the quality level identified for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material, the composite material manager is configured to:
mark the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material as usable based on the quality level for the portion being within a tolerance.

6. The composite material management system of claim 2 , wherein performing the marking action based on the quality level identified for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material, the composite material manager is configured to:
mark the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material with the quality level.

7. The composite material management system of claim 2 , wherein performing the marking action based on the quality level identified for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material, the composite material manager is configured to:
record at least one of the quality level for the number of portions of the unconsolidated composite material.

8. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein a set of sensors in the sensor system is at a sensor location located between a first point and a second point in the composite material manufacturing system and wherein the first point is a point which a set of actions is performed on a portion of the unconsolidated composite material as the portion of the unconsolidated composite material passes the first point.

9. The composite material management system of claim 1 further comprising:
a machine learning model, wherein the composite material manager determines the set of predicted properties for the portion of the unconsolidated composite material using the sensor data and the machine learning model.

10. The composite material management system of claim 1 further comprising:
a machine learning model; and
a physics model, wherein the composite material manager determines the set of predicted properties for a portion of the unconsolidated composite material using the sensor data, the machine learning model, and the physics model.

11. The composite material management system of claim 10 , wherein in determining the set of predicted properties for the portion of the unconsolidated composite material, the composite material manager is configured to:
determine a first set of initial predicted properties for the portion of the unconsolidated composite material from the machine learning model generated using the sensor data;
determine a second set of initial predicted properties for the portion of the unconsolidated composite material from the physics model generated using the sensor data; and
determine the set of predicted properties for the portion of the unconsolidated composite material from a fusion of the first set of initial predicted properties and the second set of initial predicted properties.

12. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein the unconsolidated composite material is selected from at least one of a prepreg, an aerospace-grade prepreg, a thermoset prepreg, a thermoplastic prepreg, a woven fabric prepreg, a fiber tow prepreg, a tow prepreg, unidirectional tape prepreg, a resin coated film, non-crimp fabric, or a resin mix.

13. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data comprises at least one of a component temperature, an unconsolidated composite material temperature, an ambient temperature, a humidity, a roller speed, a speed of the unconsolidated composite material, a pressure between a pair of rollers, a gap between the pair of rollers, an unconsolidated composite material thickness, a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, spectroscopy data, a material width, a fiber web width, a material areal weight, a fiber areal weight, a resin viscosity, an electrical measurement across a dimension of the unconsolidated composite material, a voltage across the dimension of the unconsolidated composite material, an electromagnetic measurement across the dimension of the unconsolidated composite material, an acoustic measurement across the dimension of the unconsolidated composite material, a tension, or an image of a prepreg at a location in the composite material manufacturing system.

14. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein the composite material manager is configured to receive upstream information selected from at least one of reinforcement information, fiber information, reinforcement sizing information, resin information, release liner information, or resin film information.

15. The composite material management system of claim 1 , wherein the set of properties comprises at least one of a prepreg fiber areal weight, prepreg resin content, prepreg thickness, prepreg infiltration level, a prepreg tack level, resin film areal weight, resin film thickness, release liner areal weight, release liner thickness, or a laminate structural property.

16. A composite material management system comprising:
a carbon fiber prepreg coating line that operates to manufacture length of prepreg from fibers and a resin coated film;
a sensor system, wherein the sensor system is operatable to generate sensor data for carbon fiber prepreg coating line during operation of the carbon fiber prepreg coating line;
a composite material manager configured to:
receive the sensor data from the sensor system for a composite material manufactur

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Stewart Tiffany Allison
• Shahan David Williamson
• Henry Christopher
• Hundley Jacob Michael
• Mcknight Geoffrey
• Bauer Andrew L
• Gross Gwen Marie Lanphere
• Rogalski Mark E

Classifications

• G05B23/0297

  Reconfiguration of monitoring system, e.g. use of virtual sensors; change monitoring method as a response to monitoring results · CPC title

• B29C70/54

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

• G05B19/41865

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G05B13/04

  involving the use of models or simulators · CPC title