Impact resistant composite panel and method of forming a composite panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9427940-B2
Application number	US-201314077598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A composite panel includes a support layer including a first plurality of prepreg plies wrapped around at least one mandrel; a mid-plane impact layer including a second plurality of prepreg plies, the mid-plane impact layer adjacent to the support layer; a upper skin layer including a third plurality of prepreg plies, the upper skin layer adjacent to the mid-place impact layer; and a lower skin layer including a fourth plurality of prepreg plies, the lower skin layer adjacent to the support layer; whereby each of the first, second, third, and fourth plurality of prepreg plies are co-cured to form the composite panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composite panel, comprising:
a support layer including a first plurality of prepreg plies wrapped around at least one mandrel;
a mid-plane impact layer including a second plurality of prepreg plies, the mid-plane impact layer adjacent to the support layer;
a upper skin layer including a third plurality of prepreg plies, the upper skin layer adjacent to the mid-place impact layer; and
a lower skin layer including a fourth plurality of prepreg plies, the lower skin layer adjacent to the support layer;
wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth plurality of prepreg plies are co-cured to form the composite panel, and the first plurality, the second plurality, and the third plurality of prepreg plies are arranged symmetrically from a radially innermost prepreg ply of the support layer to a radially outermost prepreg ply of the upper skin layer.

2. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of prepreg plies includes at least 60 percent graphite prepreg plies.

3. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein a radially innermost prepreg ply of the support layer is the same as a radially outermost prepreg ply of the upper skin layer.

4. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein a radially innermost prepreg ply of the support layer is a fiberglass prepreg ply.

5. The composite panel of claim 4 , wherein the radially innermost prepreg ply is one of a woven prepreg ply or a unidirectional prepreg ply.

6. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of prepreg plies includes at least two graphite prepreg plies.

7. The composite panel of claim 6 , wherein the at least two graphite prepreg plies are either woven prepreg plies or unidirectional prepreg plies.

8. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein the fourth plurality of prepreg plies are graphite prepreg plies.

9. The composite panel of claim 1 , wherein the upper skin layer includes at least 60 percent of graphite prepreg plies.

10. The composite panel of claim 1 , where the composite panel is an aircraft composite panel.

Assignees

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Bremmer Jonathan
• Toni Darryl Mark
• Hovan Iii William E
• Macallister Jr Allan R
• Sauer Jeffrey G
• Rogg Christian A
• Lacko Robert A
• Lent David M
• Varga Andrew

Classifications

• B29C70/30

  Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core · CPC title

• B32B17/067 Primary

  of fibres or filaments · CPC title

• B32B2605/18

  Aircraft · CPC title

• B32B2262/106

  Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres · CPC title

• B32B5/12 Primary

  characterised by the relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of {different layers, e.g. the fibres or filaments being parallel or perpendicular to each other} · CPC title