A method is provided for manufacturing. During this method, a first woven fiber sleeve is disposed over a first mandrel to provide a first overbraided mandrel. The first woven fiber sleeve is wrapped circumferentially around the first mandrel. An opening is formed through a side of the first woven fiber sleeve. A second woven fiber sleeve is disposed over a second mandrel to provide a second overbraided mandrel. The second woven fiber sleeve is wrapped circumferentially around the second mandrel. The second overbraided mandrel is arranged with the first overbraided mandrel. The second woven fiber sleeve engages the side of the first woven fiber sleeve. A second overbraid first end is disposed at and extends circumferentially around the opening. A polymer material is disposed with the first woven fiber sleeve and the second woven fiber sleeve to provide a duct structure.

A method for fabricating a stiffened panel. Layers of composite material are placed on a surface of an inner-mold-line tool having protrusions that extend from the surface of the inner-mold-line tool. The layers of composite material laid-up on the surface of the inner-mold-line tool are compacted to form compacted layers of composite material. The compacted layers of composite material are cured to form an inner-mold-line layer having corresponding protrusions. The inner-mold-line layer is joined to an outer-mold-line layer.

A process for producing a sandwich component. A first covering layer is formed on a molding surface of a molding tool; a core is produced by building up a cell structure having a multiplicity of cells in a thickness direction on the first covering layer via an additive production process; and a second covering layer is formed on a deposition surface of the core, the surface being situated on the opposite side from the first covering layer. A core for a sandwich component is furthermore described, as is a sandwich component.

A potting-press assembly (102) for injecting potting material (104) into at least a portion of a workpiece (107) comprises a chassis (114) and a potting press (140), pivotally coupled to the chassis (114). The potting-press assembly (102) also comprises a control unit (118), fixed to the chassis (114) and configured to cause the potting press (140) to be selectively pressurized.

A method for the additive manufacturing of a closed-cell porous matrix is described herein. A powder-bed, additive manufacturing process is used to create a piece with partially-closed cavities filled with unfused powder. Vacuum, negative pressure, positive pressure, or solvent is used to evacuate the powder from the cavities. Finally, a fresh layer of powder is used to cover the opening of the cavity and the powder is fused on top to close the opening.

Skins and/or adhesive layers are formed on a porous ceramic honeycomb by applying a layer of a cement composition to a surface of the honeycomb and firing the cement composition. The cement composition contains a water-swellable clay, high aspect inorganic filler particles and water, and are nearly or completely devoid of particles smaller than 100 nm and a cellulosic polymer.

A honeycomb extrusion die (100), a method of making the same, and an apparatus for forming the same. The die (100) includes: a feed hole plate (202) comprising an input surface (202A), an opposing output surface (202B), and feed holes (108) configured to guide a batch material from the input surface (202A) to the output surface (202B); and a pin assembly (204) comprising pins (300) disposed on the feed hole plate (202). At least one of the pins includes: a tail (304); a head (302) connected to the tail (304) and comprising alignment surfaces (314) configured to align the pins (300), flow surfaces (316) disposed between the alignment surfaces (314), and a tapered portion (310) comprising a contact surface (308) adhered to the output surface (202B) of the feed hole plate (202); and a first groove (306) disposed between the head (302) and the tail (304). In the pin assembly (204), the alignment surfaces (314) contact adjacent pins (300) to align the pins (300), such that discharge slots are at least partially defined by the tails (304) of the pins (300).

Provided are splices comprising honeycomb cores and adhesive layers with tie clips supporting the honeycomb cores. Also provided are methods of forming such splices. Each tie clip includes two legs and a bridging portion joining the legs. When forming a splice, an adhesive layer is positioned between two honeycomb cores. One leg of the tie clip is inserted into the full cell of one honeycomb core, while the other leg is inserted into the full cell of the other honeycomb core. The bridging portion extends across the adhesive layer. While curing the adhesive layer, the tie clip supports the honeycomb cores with respect to each other and maintains their orientation. The tie clip becomes a part of the splice. The tie clip may be buried in the honeycomb cores without extending above the first face of the splice.

A method of fabricating a filler body for a blade of a rotor. In addition, such a method comprises a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step consisting in making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material made in the preceding step, at least one of the steps consisting in making an openwork layer of material presenting a plurality of openings, the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generating openwork layers of material, each having a closed outline, the respective closed outlines of the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a closed envelope of the filler body for the blade.

Adhesive bondlines in a cell-based structural array are thermally cured using tooling blocks inserted into the cells. The tooling blocks have embedded susceptors that are inductively heated by an alternating electromagnetic field generated by an electromagnet.