Systems and methods for assembling a skin of a composite structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8974618-B1
Application number	US-201213693887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2012
Priority date	Dec 4, 2012
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

Systems and methods for assembling a skin of a composite structure on an outer surface of an inner mold line layup mandrel. The systems and methods include receiving a plurality of ply kits, assembling the plurality of ply kits to form a skin segment that defines a portion of the skin, and affixing the skin segment to the outer surface of the layup mandrel. The assembling includes transferring a respective ply kit of the plurality of ply kits to a non-planar transfer tool, compacting the respective ply kit on the non-planar transfer tool, and repeating the transferring and the compacting for each ply kit in the plurality of ply kits to form the skin segment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a skin of a composite structure on an outer surface of an inner mold line layup mandrel, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of ply kits, wherein each ply kit of the plurality of ply kits includes a plurality of plies;
assembling the plurality of ply kits to form a skin segment that defines a portion of the skin, wherein the assembling includes:
transferring a respective ply kit of the plurality of ply kits to a non-planar transfer tool, wherein the transferring includes conforming a shape of the respective ply kit to a shape of an upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool, wherein the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool defines a non-planar shape, and further wherein the transferring includes bending the respective ply kit to a transfer radius of curvature that is less than a radius of curvature of the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool and greater than a threshold buckling radius of curvature for the respective ply kit;
compacting the respective ply kit on the non-planar transfer tool; and
repeating the transferring and the compacting sequentially to layer each ply kit of the plurality of ply kits above a previous ply kit of the plurality of ply kits; and

affixing the skin segment to the outer surface of the layup mandrel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assembling further includes locating the respective ply kit on a planar indexing surface prior to the transferring.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the respective ply kit is attached to a respective ply carrier sheet, wherein the locating includes locating the respective ply carrier sheet between the plurality of plies and the planar indexing surface, and further, wherein the transferring includes flipping the respective ply kit such that the plurality of plies is located between the respective ply carrier sheet and the non-planar transfer tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving includes simultaneously receiving at least two ply kits of the plurality of ply kits.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving includes forming the plurality of ply kits.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the forming includes forming the plurality of ply kits on a planar layup bed.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the forming includes concurrently forming at least two ply kits of the plurality of ply kits.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the forming includes maintaining a thickness of each ply kit of the plurality of ply kits below a threshold thickness, and further wherein, when the thickness of each ply kit is below the threshold thickness, each ply kit will not buckle when bent to a radius of curvature that is greater than a threshold buckling radius of curvature, wherein the threshold buckling radius of curvature is greater than 0.25 m and less than 4 m.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assembling further includes selecting the shape of the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool based, at least in part, on a shape of the outer surface of the layup mandrel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compacting includes vacuum compacting the respective ply kit.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to the affixing, the method further includes applying an adhesive to at least one of the outer surface of the layup mandrel and an upper surface of the skin segment, and further wherein, subsequent to the affixing, the method further includes retaining the skin segment on the outer surface of the layup mandrel with the adhesive.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the affixing further includes compressing the skin segment against the outer surface of the layup mandrel by pressurizing a plurality of compaction bladders to press the skin segment against the outer surface of the layup mandrel, wherein the pressurizing includes sequentially pressurizing the plurality of compaction bladders by pressurizing a central compaction bladder that is located between two or more outer compaction bladders prior to pressurizing the two or more outer compaction bladders.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the skin is defined by a plurality of skin segments, wherein the outer surface of the layup mandrel defines a plurality of surface regions, and further wherein the method includes repeating the method to affix another skin segment of the plurality of skin segments to another region of the plurality of surface regions.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the repeating includes forming a plurality of interfaces between adjacent pairs of skin segments of the plurality of skin segments, wherein the plurality of interfaces include at least one of a plurality of overlapping joints, a plurality of scarf joints, and a plurality of splice joints.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite structure further includes a plurality of stringers, wherein the method includes forming at least a portion of the plurality of stringers at least partially concurrently with forming at least a portion of the plurality of ply kits, and further wherein the method includes affixing the plurality of stringers to the outer surface of the layup mandrel.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite structure includes at least one of an aircraft, a portion of an aircraft, an airframe, a portion of an airframe, a fuselage, a portion of a fuselage, a fuselage barrel, a portion of a fuselage barrel, a wing, and a portion of a wing.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool is concave.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transferring includes initially contacting the respective ply kit with a central region of the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool and subsequently contacting the respective ply kit with an edge region of the upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool.

19. A method of assembling a skin of a composite structure on an outer surface of an inner mold line layup mandrel, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of ply kits, wherein each ply kit of the plurality of ply kits includes a plurality of plies;
assembling the plurality of ply kits to form a skin segment that defines a portion of the skin, wherein the assembling includes:
locating a respective ply kit of the plurality of ply kits on a planar indexing surface, wherein the respective ply kit is attached to a respective ply carrier sheet, and further wherein the locating includes locating the respective ply carrier sheet between the plurality of plies and the planar indexing surface;
transferring the respective ply kit to a non-planar transfer tool, wherein the transferring includes flipping the respective ply kit such that the plurality of plies is located between the respective ply carrier sheet and the non-planar transfer tool;
compacting the respective ply kit on the non-planar transfer tool; and
repeating the transferring and the compacting sequentially to layer each ply kit of the plurality of ply kits above a previous ply kit of the plurality of ply kits; and

affixing the skin segment to the outer surface of the layup mandrel.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the transferring includes bending the respective ply kit to a transfer radius of curvature that is less than a radius of curvature of an upper surface of the non-planar transfer tool.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Rotter Daniel M
• Chang Paul Chih-Yung
• Coxon Brad A
• Nelson Paul E
• Madden Kimberlee
• Macias Henry
• Noel Jennifer Sue
• Jeppesen Eugene H
• Willden Kurtis S
• Berg Arvid J
• Phillips Richard V
• Metschan Stephen Lee
• Kirchmeier Stephen K
• Anderson Joseph D
• Boner Scott A

Classifications

• B29C65/70 Primary

  by moulding (using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique {, e.g. by injection B29C45/14467}) · CPC title

• B29C70/304 Primary

  In-plane lamination by juxtaposing or interleaving of plies, e.g. scarf joining · CPC title

• B29C66/73752

  the to-be-joined areas of both parts to be joined being uncured · CPC title

• B29C66/71

  characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined (welding bar compositions B29C65/125) · CPC title

• B29C66/543

  joining more than two hollow-preforms to form said hollow articles · CPC title