Apparatus and method for stabilizing a formable material while forming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919352-B2
Application number	US-201514979988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and method configured for manufacturing an aircraft part from formable material. The apparatus may include one or more rigid forming components onto which the formable material is placed and between which non-flange portions of the formable material may be compressed, and at least one inflatable component that, when expanded by inflation, presses flange portions of the formable material against at least one of the rigid forming components. The inflation component(s) may be arranged in any configuration for forming the formable material into C-shaped channels, single L-shaped channels, or opposing Z-shaped channels. Once pressed between the rigid forming components and/or the inflated inflatable components, the formable material may be heated for forming according to the particular formable material used.

First claim

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

1. A method of manufacturing an aircraft part from formable material, the method comprising the steps of:
placing the formable material on a rigid forming component comprising an elongated arc-shaped compression block;
actuating expansion of an inflatable component, such that the inflatable component presses flange portions of the formable material against the rigid forming component;
forming the formable material while the formable material is pressed between the inflatable component and the rigid forming component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rigid forming component comprises a first rigid forming component and a second rigid forming component, the method further comprising a step of actuating the first rigid forming component to compress a non-flange portion of the formable material between the first rigid forming component and the second rigid forming component prior to the step of actuating expansion of the inflatable component.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inflatable component comprises a hollow bladder made of inflatable material.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inflatable component comprises two hollow bladders made of inflatable material, wherein a first one of the two hollow bladders is mounted in fixed relation to the first rigid forming component and a second one of the two hollow bladders is mounted in fixed relation to the second rigid forming component.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inflatable component comprises two hollow bladders made of inflatable material, wherein both of the two hollow bladders are mounted in fixed relation to the first rigid forming component and located at opposing sides of the first rigid forming component.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inflatable component comprises one sheet of inflatable material sealed to a holding chamber, wherein a pressure source fluidly coupled to the one sheet of inflatable material and the holding chamber actuates inflation of the one sheet of inflatable material, thereby pressing the flange portions of the formable material against the rigid forming component during the step of actuating expansion of the inflatable component.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inflatable component comprises one sheet of inflatable material sealed to a holding chamber, wherein the first rigid forming component is located between the holding chamber and the inflatable material, such that both the non-flange portion of the formable material and a portion of the one sheet of inflatable material is compressed between the first rigid forming component and the second rigid forming component, wherein the step of actuating expansion of the inflatable component further comprises triggering a pressure source to inflate the one sheet of inflatable material, thereby pressing the flange portions of the formable material against the second rigid forming component.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the formable material and actuating expansion of the inflatable component is triggered by at least one of a heat source and a pressure source receiving command signals from a control system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formable material comprises at least one of uncured composite material, thermal plastic, aluminum, and formable metal.

10. A part forming apparatus for shaping a formable material into a rigid part having angled flanges, the part forming apparatus comprising:
two holding chambers actuatable between a first open configuration and a second closed configuration in which the two holding chambers cooperatively form a single substantially enclosed holding chamber;
two rigid forming components, each fixed within one of the two holding chambers and configured to compress the formable material when the two holding chambers are in the second closed configuration with the formable material disposed between the two rigid forming components;
a first pressure source;
an inflatable component fixed relative to at least one of the rigid forming components and at least one of the holding chambers, wherein the component is fluidly coupled with the first pressure source for inflation thereof when the two holding chambers are in the second closed configuration; and
a heat source configured to cure the formable material when the two holding chambers are in the second closed configuration and the inflatable component is at least partially inflated.

11. The part forming apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a second pressure source configured to actuate at least one of the holding chambers into the second closed configuration and to maintain the second closed configuration for a length of time.

12. The part forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the two rigid forming components comprise a first rigid forming component and a second rigid forming component, and the first rigid forming component is actuatable to compress a non-flange portion of the formable material between the first rigid forming component and the second rigid forming component.

13. The part forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the inflatable component comprises two hollow bladders made of inflatable material and mounted within at least one of the holding chambers on opposing sides of the rigid forming components, the hollow bladders being positioned within the holding chambers to press the formable material against one of the rigid forming components when the holding chambers are in the second closed configuration and the hollow bladders are at least partially inflated, thereby forming flanges at edges of the formable material in a C-channel, single L channel, or opposing Z-channel configuration.

14. The part forming apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a control system configured to send command signals to the first pressure source instructing the first pressure source to inflate the inflatable component and configured to send command signals to the heat source instructing the heat source to heat up to a programmed cure temperature for a programmed length of time.

15. A part forming apparatus for shaping a formable material into a rigid part, the part forming apparatus comprising:
a rigid forming component sized and shaped according to a desired size and shape of a surface of the rigid part, the rigid forming component comprising a first rigid forming component and a second rigid forming component;
a holding chamber;
an inflatable sheet sealed to the holding chamber, at least one of the first rigid forming component and the second rigid forming component being mounted to the holding chamber between the inflatable sheet and the holding chamber, the first rigid forming component being actuatable to compress the inflatable sheet and a non-flange portion of the formable material between the first rigid forming component and the second rigid forming component, wherein the inflatable sheet is configured to be fluidly coupled with a pressure source for inflation thereof, wherein the inflatable sheet, when at least partially inflated, presses toward and against the rigid forming component.

16. The part forming apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising the pressure source, wherein the pressure source is fluidly coupled to at least one of the inflatable sheet and the holding chamber to actuate inflation of the inflatable sheet, thus pressing flange portions of the formable material against the rigid forming component when at least partially inflated via the pressure source.

Assignees

• Spirit Aerosys Inc

Inventors

• Bryant William Joseph
• Angell Trevor Scott
• Schroeder Matthew Ryan

Classifications

• B21D22/105

  of tubular products · CPC title

• B21D22/12

  using enclosed flexible chambers · CPC title

• B21D47/00

  Making rigid structural elements or units, e.g. honeycomb structures · CPC title

• B21D53/92

  other parts for aircraft · CPC title

• B21D26/033

  Deforming tubular bodies (corrugating tubes by applying fluid pressure B21D15/03, B21D15/10) · CPC title