Method of machining a thin-walled structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9364930-B2
Application number	US-201313802357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A method of manipulating a thin-walled structure includes providing a thin-walled structure in a first unconstrained configuration, constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration in which a first feature of the thin-walled structure is spatially located relative to the a second feature of the thin-walled structure in a predetermined manner, wherein an open volume of the thin-walled structure is constrained to maintain a predetermined open volume shape, and machining the thin-walled structure to a second constrained configuration in which the first feature of the thin-walled structure remains spatially located relative to the second feature of the thin-walled structure in the predetermined manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manipulating a thin-walled structure, comprising:
providing a thin-walled structure in a first unconstrained configuration;
constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration in which a first feature of the thin-walled structure is spatially located relative to a second feature of the thin-walled structure in a predetermined manner, wherein an open volume of the thin-walled structure is constrained to maintain a predetermined open volume shape; and
machining the thin-walled structure to a second constrained configuration in which the first feature of the thin-walled structure remains spatially located relative to the second feature of the thin-walled structure in the predetermined manner; and
wherein constraining the thin-walled structure to the first constrained configuration comprises providing a constrainer into the open volume of the thin-walled structure, the constrainer comprising at least partially solidified cetyl alcohol; and
wherein the constrainer further comprises at least one of a magnetic material and a ferrous material, and the constraining comprises selectively applying a magnetic force to the constrainer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined manner comprises locating the first feature and the second feature a predetermined distance from each other.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration comprises preventing movement of the thin-walled structure in at least one direction of in-plane compression that causes collapse of the thin-walled structure without substantial buckling of a cell wall of the thin-walled structure.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first feature and the second feature form a portion of a repeated geometric pattern of the thin-walled structure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration comprises locating the thin-walled structure in a predetermined spatial location relative to a datum of a tool configured to perform the machining.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thin-walled structure comprises at least one of (1) a predetermined relationship between lateral expansion and longitudinal compression and (2) a predetermined relationship between lateral compression and longitudinal extension.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thin-walled structure comprises a honeycomb core material comprising a carbon mesh material.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the honeycomb core material comprises a cell size of about 0.5 inches.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open volume is accessible from outside of the thin-walled structure.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the constrainer comprises a bottle brush.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the machining is generally conducted along a path that is generally perpendicular to a central axis of a cell of the thin-walled structure.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thin-walled structure is a core material configured for use in a composite blade component and wherein the machining comprises contouring the thin-walled structure to complement a surface of a composite shell of the composite blade component.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising washing away the cetyl alcohol using isopropyl alcohol.

14. A method of machining, comprising:
providing a thin-walled structure in a first unconstrained configuration;
constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration that is different from the first unconstrained configuration, thereby providing a first spatial registration between a first feature of the thin-walled structure and a second feature of the thin-walled structure, and thereby providing a first spatial registration between the thin-walled structure and a datum of a tool as a function of the first spatial registration between the first feature and the second feature, wherein constraining the thin-walled structure to the first constrained configuration comprises providing a constrainer into an open volume of the thin-walled structure and selectively applying a magnetic force to the constrainer, the constrainer comprising at least partially solidified cetyl alcohol and at least one of a magnetic material and a ferrous material; and
operating the tool to machine the thin-walled structure to a second constrained configuration while maintaining the first spatial registration between the first feature and the second feature.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the constraining locates the first feature and the second feature a predetermined distance from each other.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the thin-walled structure comprises a compression strength in a direction parallel to a height of the thin-walled structure that is at least one order of magnitude greater than the compression strength of the thin-walled structure in a plurality of in-plane directions of the thin-walled structure.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the first feature and the second feature form a portion of a repeated geometric pattern of the thin-walled structure.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the machining is conducted along a path that is generally perpendicular to a central axis of a cell of the thin-walled structure.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the open volume is accessible from outside of the thin-walled structure.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the constrainer comprises a bottle brush.

21. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing a second spatial registration between the thin-walled structure and a datum of a tool as a function of the first spatial registration between the first feature and the second feature.

22. A method of manipulating a structure, comprising:
providing a thin-walled structure in a first unconstrained configuration, the thin-walled structure comprising a plurality of open volumes accessible from outside of the thin-walled structure; and
constraining the thin-walled structure to a first constrained configuration by inserting a constrainer into at least one of the plurality of open volumes in a first state and changing the constrainer from the first state to a second state, wherein the constrainer comprises at least partially solidified cetyl alcohol and at least one of a magnetic material and a ferrous material.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the changing the constrainer from the first state to the second state comprises solidifying at least a portion of the constrainer.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the changing the constrainer from the first state to the second state comprises increasing a packing density of the constrainer.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the constrainer comprises a bottle brush.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the changing the constrainer from the first state to the second state comprises applying a magnetic force to the constrainer.

Assignees

• Bell Helicopter Textron Inc

Inventors

• Hethcock J Donn
• Wolthuis Scott
• Brack Robert
• Oldroyd Paul

Classifications

• B23K2101/02

  Honeycomb structures · CPC title

• B23K26/38

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23C2228/25

  Honeycomb · CPC title

• B23Q3/086

  using a solidifying liquid, e.g. with freezing, setting or hardening means · CPC title

• B23K10/00

  Welding or cutting by means of a plasma · CPC title