An example apparatus for fabrication of a co-cured composite assembly includes a layup tool body with a cavity, a thermal expansion insert inserted into the cavity of the layup tool body and a first uncured composite part of the composite assembly is positioned onto the thermal expansion insert, and a solid internal mandrel configured for insertion onto the first uncured composite part. During curing, the first uncured composite part compacts and reduces in thickness while the solid internal mandrel and the thermal expansion insert each increase in size to apply pressure to the first uncured composite part.

A hybrid preform comprises a bundle of unidirectionally aligned fibers, and at least one partial cut that extends part of the way, but not all of the way, through a transverse cross section of the bundle of fibers at least one location along the length of the bundle.

A system for curing a thermoset composite may include a tooling die configured to receive and support an uncured thermoset composite part and to heat the uncured thermoset composite part; a pressure media bag configured to be placed over the uncured thermoset composite part disposed on the tooling die and including a pressure media; and a mechanical press configured to apply a consolidation pressure to the uncured thermoset composite part disposed on the tooling die, the pressure media bag may be configured to distribute the consolidation pressure applied by the mechanical press to the uncured thermoset composite part disposed on the tooling die.

A bonding tool is described that is used to secure sacrificial pads to bonding locations on a perimeter of a rib during a bonding process. In one embodiment, the bonding tool includes a base member having a rib receptacle dimensioned to receive a rib of a wing, a plurality of compression forms disposed around at least a portion of the rib receptacle and proximate to a perimeter of the rib, where the compression forms include a plurality of sacrificial pads that face towards bonding locations on the perimeter of the rib, and at least one bladder proximate to the compression forms that expands between a wall of the base member and the compression forms to press the sacrificial pads against the bonding locations while the sacrificial pads bond to the bonding locations.

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.

Systems and methods are provided for hardening wing panel preforms. One embodiment is a method for fabricating a wing panel for an aircraft. The method includes loading a wing skin preform onto a contour of an Outer Mold Line (OML) tool, applying stringer preforms to troughs of an Inner Mold Line (IML) tool, aligning the OML tool with the IML tool, and assembling the IML, tool and the OML tool into a cartridge that molds a wing panel preform comprising the wing skin preform and the stringer preforms. The method further includes inserting the cartridge into a press, and hardening the wing panel preform into a composite part while the cartridge resides in the press.

A mold core for producing a component of fiber composite material with a cavity. The mold core makes a particularly simple and efficient demolding process possible by a mold core extending along a longitudinal axis and which is in the form of a hybrid core and which includes, viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a first core portion and a second core portion, wherein the first core portion is formed from a first material with high stiffness and low coefficient of thermal expansion, and wherein the second core portion is formed from a second material that differs from the first material, and is configured such that, under predetermined conditions, its form changes in a predetermined manner such that removal of the mold core from a cavity in the cured component is made easier.

Method for manufacturing a stiffened panel of composite materials and a stiffened panel, comprising: a skin (1), and stiffeners (3, 4),
wherein the manufacturing method comprises the following steps: providing a skin (1), making a plurality of through drill holes (6) on the skin (1) located in correspondence with areas where the placement of stiffeners (3, 4) is expected, introducing threaded bolts (5) in the through drill holes (6) such that the head (11) of the threaded bolt (5) remains housed in the skin (1), locating a threaded nut (10) on the free end of the threaded bolts (5), manufacturing the stiffeners (3, 4) such that the threaded bolts (5) and the threaded nut (10) remain embedded in the stiffeners (3, 4).

A mold insert and method of using a mold insert to make a composite part. The mold insert is configured to make a composite part from composite material. The mold insert is configured to be attached to a mandrel. Once attached, the composite material is applied to the mandrel over the mold insert, stringers, and bladders. The composite material is then cured on the mandrel. The mold insert can then be removed from the mandrel.

The disclosed forming apparatus includes a frame. The frame defines a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, and a longitudinal axis. A carriage is movably connected to the frame. A first stomp foot is movably connected to the carriage such that it may move along the vertical axis. A first end effector is movably connected to the carriage. The first end effector is controlled by an actuator. The disclosed method for forming a composite part includes applying at least one ply of composite material over a forming surface of a forming tool and deforming the at least one ply of composite material over the forming surface of the forming tool with a forming apparatus.