B29D99/001

DEMOLDING

A system includes a mandrel contoured to define a tapering tubular shape of a workpiece cured on the mandrel and a demolding tool. The demolding tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the mandrel after the workpiece is cured on the mandrel and cut longitudinally. The demolding tool is configured to remove the workpiece from the mandrel by deforming a first end of the workpiece to at least partially disengage the first end of the workpiece from a first end of the mandrel, and subsequently, deforming a second end of the workpiece to at least partially disengage the second end of the workpiece from a second end of the mandrel. The first end of the workpiece may have a first cross-sectional area that is smaller than a second cross-sectional area of the second end of the workpiece.

Method for manufacturing two soundproof panels in the same mold using two mold cavities
11731381 · 2023-08-22 · ·

A method for manufacturing two soundproof panels of an aircraft nacelle including a duct. The manufacturing method includes a step of supplying a mold having, on a single face, a cavity for each soundproof panel, a step of producing, in the bottom of each cavity, an inner skin for being oriented towards the duct, and a curing step during which the elements present in the mold are cured in the mold. Such a method makes it possible to produce the two soundproof panels in the same mold, thus reducing the gaps between them after they have been positioned.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SANDWICH PANEL AND SANDWICH PANEL
20230256724 · 2023-08-17 · ·

A method of manufacturing a sandwich panel (100) includes: a step of preparing a plurality of sheet-like prepregs (211); a step of performing a first heating and pressurization process through a release film (25) on upper and lower surfaces of a laminate where the plurality of prepregs (211) are laminated such that the laminate is integrated to obtain a composite facing material (40); and a step of disposing the composite facing material (40) on each of an upper surface side and a lower surface side of a sheet-like core layer (10) having a honeycomb structure and integrating the laminate through a second heating and pressurization process, in which a pressure of the first heating and pressurization process is higher than or equal to a pressure of the second heating and pressurization process.

Splice joint in laminate composite structure
11718063 · 2023-08-08 · ·

Layers of plies of composite material are laid on a convex tool surface. A first layer is placed with a first ply of a first section having a gap edge adjacent a gap edge of a first ply of a second section, the edges being parallel and a contraction distance from each other. A second layer is placed with a second ply of the first section having a gap edge adjacent a gap edge of a second ply of the second section, the edges being parallel and a contraction distance from each other, the second ply of the second section overlapping onto the first ply of the first section by a splice distance. Consolidation and curing cause contraction of the layers toward the tool, allowing the adjacent gap edges of each layer to be in close proximity or in contact after moving toward each other during the contraction.

COMPOSITE STIFFENER

A composite stiffener for a stiffener reinforced panel is disclosed. The stiffener has a longitudinal direction and a run-out region which terminates at an end of the stiffener. The stiffener also has a constant section region inboard of the run-out region in the longitudinal direction and having a constant cross section transverse to the longitudinal direction with a crown between adjacent foot portions. The run-out region has a changing cross section transverse to the longitudinal direction with a crown between adjacent foot portions and the crown reduces in height towards the end of the stiffener forming a ramp. The composite stiffener comprises a number of blankets of non-crimp fabric layers.

CORE ELEMENT FOR SANDWICH ELEMENTS, USE OF SUCH A CORE ELEMENT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A CORE ELEMENT
20220152959 · 2022-05-19 · ·

Core element for sandwich elements, wherein the core element has at least two hemisphere panels which are combined with one another, wherein each hemisphere panel has, between planar portions, and spaced apart from one another, uniform hemispherical elevations, wherein the two or in each case two hemisphere panels face one another by way of their elevations, wherein, with two or in each case two hemisphere panels combined with one another, the elevations of one hemisphere panel each bear with their apexes or apex surfaces against a planar portion of the other hemisphere panel, and wherein two hemisphere panels are connected to one another by virtue of the elevations being connected, in the region of their apexes or apex surfaces, to the planar portion of the other or another hemisphere panel against which they bear. Moreover, the invention also relates to the use of a core element and to a method for producing a core element.

Composite tool and associated method for making a composite panel

A method of forming a tool includes applying a first build ply to an initial ply. A second build ply is applied to the first build ply. Successive build plies are applied to build on the second build ply, the successive build plies including a medial section of build plies and a last build ply. A surface defined by the last build ply, the first build ply, and leading edges of the build plies therebetween define a substantially curvature-continuous surface profile extending between a first segment and a second segment. A shape of the substantially curvature-continuous surface profile is determined based on an adjusted ply drop ratio for at least a portion of the successive build plies.

FRP MOLDING SYSTEM AND METHOD

A fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) molding system in which FRP material, having stacked prepregs, is molded to manufacture an arc-shaped FRP component. The FRP molding system comprises inner and outer jig plates, a partial pressing device, and transfer devices. The jig plates are arc-shaped members having outer and inner surfaces that respectively fit with inner and outer surface shapes of the FRP component. The FRP material is sandwiched between the jig plates to form an integrated jig plate. The partial pressing device intermittently compresses a portion of the integrated jig plate in a radial direction orthogonal to an arc of the FRP component so that the FRP component is partially molded. The transfer devices intermittently move the compressed portion of the integrated jig plate by the partial pressing device. By repeating the partial pressing and the transport, the entire integrated jig plate is compressed to form the FRP component.

Composite articles providing flame retardancy and noise reduction
11173689 · 2021-11-16 · ·

A thermoplastic composite article comprising a porous core layer and an open cell skin disposed on a first surface of the core layer is described. The composite article comprises a noise reduction coefficient of at least 0.5 as tested by ASTM C423-17 and a flame spread index of less than 25 and a smoke development index of less than 150 as tested by ASTM E84 dated 2009.

Composite fuselage assembly and methods to form the assembly

A method for manufacturing a composite rear section assembly having a continuous skin solution including obtaining a vertical tail plane tooling that has intermediate tooling for tooling intermediate preforms of a vertical tail plane (800), obtaining a fuselage barrel tooling (420a), (420b), (420c) and (420d) the fuselage barrel tooling having a cut-out (503a), (503b), (503c) and longitudinal cavities (501a), (501b), (501c) and (501d), attaching the vertical tail plane tooling to the fuselage barrel tooling by the cut-out of the fuselage barrel tooling, performing a composite skin lay-up (801) over the fuselage barrel tooling and the vertical tail plane tooling to obtain a continuous skin, curing the composite skin lay-up, the vertical tail plane tooling and the fuselage barrel tooling and demolding the tools to obtain the composite assembly with a continuous skin (1300), (1600).