Systems and methods for compacting a charge of composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9314976-B2
Application number	US-201313769022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2013
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for compacting a charge of composite material. These systems and methods may utilize a vacuum compaction device to compact the charge of composite material on a supporting surface. The vacuum compaction device may be reusable and may be configured to define an enclosed volume when positioned on the supporting surface and may include a barrier structure and a sealing structure that is configured to form a fluid seal when compressed between the supporting surface and the barrier structure. The vacuum compaction device also may include a vacuum distribution manifold that is in fluid communication with and configured to selectively apply a vacuum to the enclosed volume. Application of the vacuum to the enclosed volume may decrease a pressure within the enclosed volume and transition the vacuum compaction device from an undeformed configuration to a deformed configuration, thereby compacting the charge of composite material on the supporting surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum compaction device for compacting a charge of composite material on a supporting surface, wherein the device is configured to be positioned on the supporting surface to define an enclosed volume, the device comprising:
a barrier structure that includes a first side, which is defined by a first planar wall, and an opposed second side, which is defined by a second planar wall, wherein the first planar wall further includes a first inner side that is opposed to the first side, wherein the second planar wall further includes a second inner side that opposed to the second side, wherein the second inner side is spaced-apart from the first inner side, wherein the barrier structure further includes a plurality of spaced-apart elongate webs that extends between the first inner side of the first planar wall and the second inner side of the second planar wall, wherein the first inner side of the first planar wall, the second inner side of the second planar wall, and the plurality of spaced-apart elongate webs together define a plurality of elongate channels;
a sealing structure that is configured to form a fluid seal between the supporting surface and the barrier structure when compressed therebetween; and
a vacuum distribution manifold that is in fluid communication with, and configured to selectively apply a vacuum to, the enclosed volume, wherein the plurality of elongate channels defines at least a portion of the vacuum distribution manifold.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the barrier structure further includes a release surface that defines the first side of the barrier structure, wherein the release surface includes at least one of a material that is selected to not adhere to the charge of composite material, a material that is selected to not react with the charge of composite material, and a fluoropolymer.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum distribution manifold is a first vacuum distribution manifold that is at least partially defined by a first portion of the plurality of elongate channels, wherein the vacuum is a first vacuum, wherein the device includes a second vacuum distribution manifold that is at least partially defined by a second portion of the plurality of elongate channels and is configured to selectively apply a second vacuum, wherein the first side of the barrier structure defines a plurality of evacuation conduits, which provide fluid communication between the enclosed volume and the first vacuum distribution manifold, and further wherein the first side of the barrier structure defines a plurality of retention conduits, which provide fluid communication between the enclosed volume and the second vacuum distribution manifold.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure is located between the barrier structure and the supporting surface when the vacuum compaction device is positioned on the supporting surface.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure is selected to at least one of not adhere to, not chemically react with, and not transfer a contaminant to the charge of composite material.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure includes at least one of a compression seal, a resilient seal, and a tubular resilient seal.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device includes an undeformed configuration when not positioned on the supporting surface and the vacuum is not applied to the enclosed volume and a deformed configuration when positioned on the supporting surface and the vacuum is applied to the enclosed volume.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the barrier structure is planar when the device is in the undeformed configuration, and further wherein the barrier structure at least partially conforms to a contour of the supporting surface when the device is in the deformed configuration, wherein the contour of the supporting surface includes at least a non-planar contour.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the sealing structure defines a thickness that is measured in a direction that is perpendicular to the first side of the barrier structure, wherein the thickness includes an undeformed thickness when the device is in the undeformed configuration and a deformed thickness when the device is in the deformed configuration, and further wherein the deformed thickness is less than the undeformed thickness.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum compaction device is a reusable vacuum compaction device that is configured to compact a plurality of charges of composite material on the supporting surface without damage to the vacuum compaction device.

11. A composite structure fabrication assembly comprising:
a plurality of charges of composite material;
a supporting surface; and
the vacuum compaction device of claim 1 .

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the vacuum compaction device is positioned on the supporting surface and defines the enclosed volume, wherein the charge of composite material is located within the enclosed volume, wherein the vacuum is applied to the enclosed volume, and further wherein a contour of the first side of the barrier structure corresponds to a contour of the supporting surface.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the enclosed volume is at least one of bounded by the sealing structure and defined by the sealing structure.

14. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the supporting surface includes at least one of a layup mandrel, a previously compacted charge of composite material, a portion of a composite structure, and a portion of the composite structure that is supported by the layup mandrel.

15. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the supporting surface includes a previously compacted charge of composite material, and further wherein the sealing structure is compressed between the previously compacted charge of composite material and the barrier structure and forms the fluid seal.

16. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of charges of composite material forms a portion of at least one of a composite structure, an airframe, a fuselage of an aircraft, a fuselage barrel of an aircraft, a wing of an aircraft, a stabilizer of an aircraft, a filler, a skin, and a stringer.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of elongate channels extends along a longitudinal axis that is at least substantially parallel to the first planar wall and that extends between two opposed edges of the barrier structure, wherein each of the two opposed edges of the barrier structure extends between the first side and the second side, and further wherein the two opposed edges of the barrier structure define at least a portion of an external periphery of the barrier structure.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the barrier structure is a double-walled panel.

19. The device of claim 3 , wherein the device includes the charge of composite material and a vacuum source, wherein the device further includes a vacuum control structure configured to selectively apply the vacuum from the vacuum source, wherein the vacuum control structure is configured such that the second vacuum is applied to the plurality of retention conduits from the vacuum source and via the second vacuum distribution manifold, wherein the vacuum control structure further is configured such that the first vacuum is not applied to the plurality of evacuation conduits via the first vacuum distribution manifold, and further wherein the charge of composite material is retained on the first side of the barrier structure by the sec

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Robins Brian Gregory
• Rotter Daniel M
• Davis Kieran P
• King Mark E

Classifications

• B29C2043/3605

  vacuum · CPC title

• B29C70/44 Primary

  using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding · CPC title

• B29C43/10

  Isostatic pressing, i.e. using non-rigid pressure-exerting members against rigid parts or dies · CPC title

• B29C43/36

  Moulds for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title