Process for inhibiting galvanic corrosion of an aluminum structure connected, without using a splice plate, to a composite structure having a fiber including graphite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919507-B2
Application number	US-201615384767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Aug 17, 2010
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A composite structure comprises stacked sets of laminated fiber reinforced resin plies and metal sheets. Edges of the resin plies and metal sheets are interleaved to form a composite-to-metal joint connecting the resin plies with the metal sheets.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A process for inhibiting galvanic corrosion of an aluminum structure connected, without using a splice plate, to a composite structure comprising a fiber comprising graphite, the process comprising:
preventing the aluminum structure from contacting the composite structure via:
bonding the composite structure to a first end of a stack comprising metal sheets, such that the connection comprises a fingered lap joint, the metal sheets comprising titanium, the stack comprising a segmenter, the segmenter oriented substantially perpendicular to an edge of the composite structure;
segmenting the stack with a gap extending substantially perpendicular to the edge of the composite structure, such that the gap extends into the respective composite structure, and terminates by transitioning to an opening through the composite structure; and
connecting, without using the splice plate, the stack to the aluminum structure such that the aluminum structure does not contact the composite structure.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising bonding each metal sheet in the stack to an adjacent metal sheet via an adhesive layer.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the stack comprises three sheets comprising titanium.

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
trimming the metal sheets to a desired size and shape.

5. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
laying up the composite structure and the metal sheets in a predetermined sequence.

6. The process of claim 5 further comprising:
laying up the composite structure and the metal sheets according to a layup schedule with plies of the composite structure and the metal sheets in edge to edge abutment.

7. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
compacting the stack after bonding.

8. The process of claim 7 further comprising:
curing the stack after connecting.

9. The process of claim 8 further comprising:
trimming the stack after curing.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein layers of the composite structure have a first thickness about equal to a second thickness of the metal sheets.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein segmenting comprises:
staggering an interface of the composite structure and the metal sheets toward a metal edge from a prior interface location.

12. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
straddling a bracket across the aluminum structure and the composite structure; and
securing the bracket to the aluminum structure and to the composite structure.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein the securing is performed using bolts driven into corresponding holes that avoid an interface between the composite structure and the stack.

14. The process of claim 1 further comprising:
increasing a load carrying capacity of the aluminum structure via increasing a height of a rib of a frame of the aluminum structure relative to a height of a rib of a splice skinned structure with a substantially equal size and shape as the structure.

15. The process of claim 14 further comprising:
decreasing a weight of the aluminum structure via decreasing a width of the rib of the frame of the aluminum structure relative to a width of the rib of the splice skinned structure with a substantially equal size and shape as the structure.

16. The process of claim 15 further comprising:
connecting the composite structure to a top side of the frame of the aluminum structure.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising:
connecting a second composite structure to a bottom side of the frame of the aluminum structure.

18. The process of claim 17 further comprising:
integrating an interior sheet onto an inner sheet of the stack to form a duct.

19. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fingered lap joint includes alternating layers of the composite structure extending into the stack of metal sheets with layers of the stack of metal sheets extending into the composite structure.

20. The process of claim 19 , wherein distances the stack of metal sheets extends into the composite structure vary.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Georgeson Gary Ernest
• Griess Kenneth Harlan

Classifications

• B64C3/28 Primary

  Leading or trailing edges attached to primary structures, e.g. forming fixed slots · CPC title

• Y10T428/195

  Beveled, stepped, or skived in thickness · CPC title

• Y10T428/192

  Sheets or webs coplanar · CPC title

• Y10T156/1092

  All laminae planar and face to face · CPC title

• Y10T156/109

  Embedding of laminae within face of additional laminae · CPC title