A composite forming apparatus includes an end effector, a forming feature, and a non-contact heater. The forming feature is coupled to the end effector. The end effector moves the forming feature relative to a composite ply to form the composite ply over a forming tool or a prior formed composite ply. The non-contact heater heats to a portion of the composite ply before the portion of the composite ply is formed over the forming tool or the prior formed composite ply.

Aircraft that incorporates a rounded-hat composite stringer connected to an inner side of the skin of the aircraft to form an elongate conduit that defines a conduit axis, where the conduit axis includes at least one curving portion. The rounded-hat composite stringer can be manufactured by constructing a lower forming die and an upper forming die, each forming die having a length and defining a curve along at least a portion of the length of the die, cutting a pre-cured flat composite charge dimensioned to form the rounded-hat composite stringer, pressing the flat composite charge between the lower and upper forming dies to shape the composite charge into a pre-formed stringer having an inner side between curved fillet portions, contacting a forming member against the inner side of the pre-formed stringer, applying radius fillers to the curved fillet portions of the pre-formed stringer, curing the pre-formed stringer, and removing the forming member from the cured stringer.

A duct stringer has duct walls providing a duct with a closed cross-section; and a bulkhead in the duct. The duct is adapted to transport fluid, and the bulkhead is adapted to block the flow of fluid along the duct. The bulkhead is adhered to the duct walls by one or more co-cured or co-bonded joints. The bulkhead includes a pair of bulkhead parts, each with a web and one or more flanges. The duct stringer is manufactured by positioning the mandrels end-to-end with the bulkhead parts back-to-back between them; wrapping or laying-up the duct walls around the bulkhead parts and the mandrels; co-curing or co-bonding the flanges of the bulkhead parts to the duct walls; and after the bulkhead has been adhered to the duct walls, removing the mandrels from opposite ends of the duct.

Wrinkling of a contoured composite laminate part during forming to contour is reduced by using laminate plies having off-angle reinforcing fibers that provide the part with primary axial strength along a major axis of loading.

Systems are provided for fabricating a preform for a fuselage section of an aircraft. The system includes advancing a series of arcuate mandrel sections in a process direction through an assembly line, laying up fiber reinforced material onto the arcuate mandrel sections via layup stations, uniting the series of arcuate mandrel sections into a combined mandrel; and splicing the fiber reinforced material laid-up onto the arcuate mandrel sections.

Described herein are stringer assemblies, such as blade stringers, and methods of forming thereof. A stringer assembly comprises a first fabric composite stiffener, a second fabric composite stiffener, and an intermediate tape composite stiffener, disposed between and connected to each of the first and second stiffeners. Using three separate components allows forming sharp bends, eliminating voids and gap fillers, and adding new features, such as edge reinforcements. Each of the first and second fabric composite stiffeners comprises a web portion, a flange portion, and a curved portion, positioned between the web and flange portions. The web portions surround and are attached to the intermediate tape composite stiffener and, in some examples, include tapered-out edges for additional rigidity. The flange portions are attached to the composite base. The curved portions conform to the flared-out edges of the intermediate tape composite stiffener, which extends and connects to the composite base.

Described herein are methods and systems for forming composite stringer assemblies or, more specifically, for shaping composite charges while forming these stringer assemblies. A system comprises a bladder, having a bladder core, and a bladder skin. The bladder core is formed from foam. The bladder skin is formed from an elastic material and encloses the bladder core. When a composite stringer assembly is formed, the bladder is positioned over a charge base. The charge base later becomes a stringer base, such as a fuselage section or a wing skin. A charge hat is then positioned over the bladder and is conformed to the bladder. A combination of the bladder skin and the bladder core provides support during this forming operation and later while the stringer assembly is cured. In some examples, the bladder core is collapsible for the removal of the bladder from the cavity of the stringer assembly.

A method for producing, in a composite material, a component that has a re-entrant angle, includes stacking layers of fibers which have been pre-impregnated with a resin so as to obtain a preform and placing the preform in a tooling fixture in order to subject it to a polymerization cycle including a temperature cycle, with a temperature-increase phase and at least one soak at which the temperature is maintained, and a pressure cycle on the outside of the tooling fixture with a pressure-increase phase and a pressure-hold phase, with the layers of pre-impregnated fibers being able to slip against one another when the temperature of the temperature cycle is equal to or higher than a threshold temperature Tf dependent on the resin. The temperature-increase phase includes a soak at a temperature higher than or equal to Tf, the soak beginning before the end of the pressure-increase phase.

Systems and methods are provided for utilizing support tools for forming laminates. One embodiment is a system that includes a pair of dies that hold a multi-layer laminate over a gap, a male die that presses the laminate into the gap causing the laminate to change shape, and a support tool inserted into the gap beneath the laminate. The support tool includes a base that extends in a lengthwise direction, struts fixedly attached to the base that project upward from the base and are distributed along the lengthwise direction, and a cap that is slidably attached to the struts, and that covers the struts to form an upper surface of the support tool. Each of the struts rises from the base to the cap.

A composite charge is formed between two compression dies into a composite laminate stiffener. The stiffener is contoured along its length by contouring the dies. Wrinkle diffusers attached to, or embedded or incorporated into the tool surfaces of the dies, diffuse wrinkles formed on the inside radius of the stiffener during the contouring.