Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a toolset configured to fabricate a component of an aircraft, the toolset comprising: a mold base configured to seat at least one mandrel, a mold lid configured to be coupled to the mold base, and at least one driver block that is integral with the mold lid and projects from an interior surface of the mold lid.

A trailing edge for a composite multispar integrated lifting surface includes a first C-shape composite form that includes a web and two flanges. The web forming a portion of the rear spar of a torsion box. The two flanges extending along a skin chordwise direction. A second C-shape composite form includes a web and two flanges. The web forms an auxiliary spar. The flanges extend along the skin chordwise direction. The first C-shape composite form and the second C-shape composite form forming a first auxiliary cell and a second cell. The first auxiliary cell is delimited by the first C-shape composite form and the second C-shape composite form. The second cell is an open cell delimited by the second C-shape composite form.

An aircraft panel with a laminate structure is provided that comprises a stack of a plurality of metal sheet layers, at least one fiber reinforced adhesive layer, and at least one cover segment. At least one outer layer of the metal sheet layers comprises at least two separate metal sheets that overlap with each other along their respective commonly adjoining edges, providing an overlapping joint of the two separate metal sheets. The at least one fiber reinforced adhesive layer comprises fiber elements embedded in a matrix structure. One of the at least one fiber reinforced adhesive layers is arranged between two adjacent metal sheet layers. Further, the at least one cover segment is arranged on an outside surface of the laminate structure, the cover segment covering a region of the overlapping joint. Still further, the at least one cover segment comprises at least one layer of reinforcement fibers.

A first laminated body is worked to form a second laminated body, the first laminated body being formed by laminating prepregs including reinforcing fibers and resin, the second laminated body including a flat portion and a wavy portion, the flat portion being located at at least one of side edge portions of the second laminated body, the wavy portion being located at a portion adjacent to the side edge portion and extending along a longitudinal direction. An intermediate product is formed from the second laminated body by a forming die such that the flat portion becomes a bent portion that is an inside portion whose circumferential length is shorter in a curved portion, and the wavy portion becomes a bent portion that is an outside portion whose circumferential length is longer in the curved portion.

A structure has a net-area-tension fastener pattern formed in the skin panel for receiving fasteners defining a net-area-tension joint for coupling a component attach fitting of a component to the skin panel. The net-area-tension fastener pattern includes two or more rows of fastener holes, including a first row and a last row. Each row is oriented generally perpendicular to a primary load direction of a load that the component is capable of exerting on the skin panel. The first row is located upstream of the last row relative to the primary load direction. The fastener holes in the first row and the last row are respectively the smallest and the largest in the net-area-tension fastener pattern. The rows are spaced apart at a spacing ratio of hole spacing to hole diameter. The spacing ratio of the first row is greater than the spacing ratio of the last row.

Systems and methods are provided for composite part design. One embodiment is a method of creating a library of sublaminates used in optimizing fiber orientations of a multi-layer composite part subdivided along its depth into panels that each comprise a fraction of the area of the composite part. The method includes creating sublaminates that each comprise consecutively stacked layers having a unique sequence of fiber orientations, checking the sublaminates for compliance with stacking sequence rules that constrain how fiber orientations are sequenced, and removing sublaminates that do not comply with the stacking sequence rules. The method further includes generating new sublaminates that each include an additional layer, by, for each of multiple fiber orientations: selecting a sublaminate that was not remove, and generating a new sublaminate by appending an additional layer having the fiber orientation to the selected sublaminate.

In accordance with the present invention an aircraft stringerless fuselage structure is provided comprising an impact compliant outer skin having a plurality of resin impregnated skin fibers forming an outer skin surface, an inner stringerless skin surface, and a skin thickness. A plurality of stiffeners is included, each comprising a plurality of resin impregnated stiffener fibers integrated into the inner stringerless skin structure. The plurality of resin impregnated skin fibers are not aligned with the plurality of resin impregnated stiffener fibers.

There is provided a method of manufacturing a composite structure of an aircraft. The composite structure includes a skin and a reinforcing material. The method includes, by stacking unhardened composite sheets on a region of a jig adjacent to a holding portion to hold the reinforcing material, forming a skin inner layer including a retainer to retain two end portions of a flange of the reinforcing material in a width direction of the flange. The method includes installing the reinforcing material at the holding portion of the jig so that the two end portions abut upon the retainer. The method includes, by stacking unhardened composite sheets on an outer surface of the flange and on an outer surface of the skin inner layer, forming a skin outer layer. The method includes hardening the skin inner layer and the skin outer layer.

A system is provided for producing components of composite material, and especially elongate or continuous components of fiber-reinforced polymer. The system comprises a winding mechanism for winding an elongate sheet of composite material about a winding axis that is at an angle to a perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongate sheet so as to form a helical coil of wound sheet a mechanism is provided for drawing or conveying the helical coil of wound sheet along a process path, wherein the process path is preferably substantially parallel to the winding axis. A shaping mechanism forms or shapes the coil of wound sheet as it is drawn or conveyed along the process path. A corresponding method of producing a composite component is provided.

A conjugate damper for a structural panel includes a constraining sheet extending between a first edge and a second edge. Each of the first edge and the second edge is at least partially coupled to a first surface of the structural panel. The conjugate damper also includes a damping layer coupled between the constraining sheet and the first surface such that, when the structural panel is in a compressively deformed state, a thickness of the damping layer in a direction generally normal to the first surface is decreased relative to a baseline state. The damping layer includes a viscoelastic material.