Disclosed herein is a tool for forming a composite part. The tool comprises a first layer, a second layer, spaced apart from the first layer, and a low-density core interposed between the first layer and the second layer. The low-density core has a density less than the first layer and the second layer and comprises a plurality of empty cells at least partially defined by the first layer and the second layer. The tool also comprises a heating source and one of: each one of the plurality of empty cells extends across a width or length of the first layer and the second layer; or adjacent ones of the plurality of empty cells are fluidically interconnected by a fluid port formed in the low-density core.

A method is for manufacturing a honeycomb structure including a core material in which a hole is formed to penetrate in a thickness direction and is arranged in a plane direction, and a skin material that is stacked on a surface of the core material. The skin material includes a thermosetting resin. The method includes half-curing the thermosetting resin by placing the skin material in a bag and heating the skin material in a state where an inside of the bag is evacuated and an outside of the bag is under an atmospheric pressure; stacking the skin material in which the thermosetting resin is half-cured onto a side of the surface of the core material; and bonding and integrating the core material and the skin material with each other by pressurizing and heating the stacked core material and skin material with the use of a sealing pressurizing heating facility.

Methods and systems are provided for fabricating a composite structure. In one example, the composite structure may include a honeycomb core sandwiched between face sheets. An edge of the honeycomb core may be abraded and a top face sheet may be perforated. As such, a likelihood of delamination of the composite structure during a curing step may be reduced.

In an example, a method for accelerated conditioning of a composite core sandwich coupon is described. The method includes setting a first temperature and a first relative humidity level of the conditioning apparatus, wherein a combination of the first temperature and the first relative humidity level correspond to a desired relative humidity level of the plurality of cells of the core layer at room temperature. The method includes maintaining the first temperature and the first relative humidity for a first period, wherein during the first period a core humidity of the plurality of cells in the core layer approaches the first relative humidity level. The method includes determining that the core humidity has reached the first relative humidity level. The method includes, based on determining that the core humidity has reached the first relative humidity level, adjusting the first temperature to a second temperature.

Fibre-reinforced composite materials, which can exhibit good fire-retardant properties in combination with good surface properties and aesthetic properties, as well as good mechanical properties, and in conjunction with good processability, with regard to cost and health and safety considerations.

Methods and related structures to splice two sizes of cores in a manner to directly interface the facets of the cells and avoid the common practice of using fillers, casting materials, and expanding adhesives is useful to optimize the specific strength of the design and minimize the weight while maximizing the load carrying capability of the structure and to allow the core to vent moisture and other gasses.

Apparatus and methods for sealing powder holes in additively manufactured parts are presented herein. Powder holes are co-printed to facilitate post processing sealing. Embodiments include co-printed caps, friction welded caps, rivets, silicone plugs, co-printed tangs, multiple micro holes, layup, and spin forming. By using one or more of the above techniques, powder holes can be sealed on additively manufactured parts.

An example method for manufacturing a multicellular structure for acoustic damping is described that includes applying a porogen material to a solid support, inserting a multicellular frame into the solid support and through the porogen material so as to fill cells of the multicellular frame with the porogen material, fusing the porogen material, removing the multicellular frame from the solid support, and the multicellular frame contains a suspended fused porogen network attached to walls of the cells of the multicellular frame. The method also includes applying a solution to the suspended fused porogen network in the cells of the multicellular frame to percolate the suspended fused porogen network, curing the solution, and removing the suspended fused porogen network from the multicellular frame resulting in porous septum membranes of the cured solution in cells of the multicellular frame.

The present invention provides a self-adhesive prepreg which is characterized by comprising: a base prepreg that is composed of reinforcing fibers and a thermosetting resin composition (I), some or all of which is impregnated into a reinforcing fiber layer that is formed of the reinforcing fibers; an adhesive layer that is composed of a nonwoven fabric which is laminated on at least one surface of the base prepreg so as to be integrated with the base prepreg and a thermosetting resin composition (II) which is laminated on the surface of the nonwoven fabric so as to be integrated with the nonwoven fabric.

The present disclosure concerns a method for manufacturing a composite panel including a cellular central core interposed between two skins. The manufacturing method includes the steps of manufacture of an element with a cellular structure comprising a cellular core structure interposed between two layers of structural plies intended to form the skins, positioning of the element with a cellular structure within a mold, formation of drains on either side of the cellular core structure, infusion of the element with a cellular structure so as to impregnate it with a resin, carrying out a draining of the resin through the drains in the element with a cellular structure during the infusion step, the drains having a geometry configured to provide draining, and polymerization of the impregnated element with a cellular structure to form the composite panel.