A reinforced composite laminate for an aircraft and a method of manufacture thereof. The laminate includes a set of stacked plies of pre-preg material laid up forming an XY plane, wherein the laminate further includes a plurality of elongated carbon pins including a round section with a diameter smaller than 0.5 mm. The pins are nailed through the stacked plies following the Z direction to withstand the out-of-plane loads.

With the measures described herein, a structural composite laminate is provided that includes a structural fuel cell, a structural supercondensator and a structural battery. Each of these components is configured in a self-supporting manner, such that aircraft parts, like exterior panels, may be manufactured from the laminate. The aircraft parts are capable of generating electrical energy by means of the structural fuel cell and distribute the electrical energy over the whole aircraft without cabling. Furthermore, short power demand peaks can be absorbed by the structural supercondensator, whereas the basic load is supplied by the structural battery.

A damage recovery system of a fuselage of an aircraft, comprising: a tank containing a polyurethane foam; a main duct fluidically coupled to the tank to receive the foam; secondary ducts fluidically coupled to the main duct; and distribution means adapted to allow an outflow of the foam from the secondary ducts. Graphene powder can be mixed and added to the polyurethane foam. In flight, a possible leak (crack or hole) in the fuselage is plugged by the polyurethane foam with graphene powder.

A heat sink for use in induction welding includes a number of tiles, where the tiles are electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive, a joint flexibly joining the tiles together, and a fluid path formed through the heat sink for communicating a coolant therethrough.

A monolithic joint system for a fuselage to wing joint in an aircraft is provided. The joint system comprises a first vertical flange, a base plate, a second vertical flange, and damage containment features associated with at least one of these components. The first vertical flange is configured to connect to a fuselage section of the aircraft and the second vertical flange is configured to connect to a rib web of a wing, while the base plate attaches outboard wing to inboard wing box. The first vertical flange, the base plate, and the second vertical flange are formed from a continuous piece of material. The damage containment features are configured to slow propagation of an active crack tip in the joint system during operation of the aircraft. Thus, the illustrative embodiments provide a one-piece joint system for the fuselage to wing joint of an aircraft.

The invention provides a composite capable of achieving both excellent followability to an adherend and excellent adhesion. The composite has a support and a plurality of structures fixed to at least one surface of the support, and the structure has a shaft member consisting of a flexible material extending from a proximal end fixed to the support, and an adhesive part arranged at a distal end of the shaft member.

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.

Systems and methods are provided for trimming and installation. One embodiment is a system for cutting out portions of a fuselage section. The system includes an Inner Mold Line (IML) tool comprising an inner gripping element configured to apply suction to a portion of the fuselage section, and further comprising an outer gripping element configured to apply suction to an area surrounding the portion, an Outer Mold Line (OML) tool configured to operate a cutter to cut the portion out from the fuselage section while suction is applied to the portion and to the area surrounding the portion, and a track that is disposed between the IML tool and the OML tool, wherein the fuselage section is configured to be pulsed in a process direction along the track, such that the fuselage section remains disposed between the IML tool and the OML tool when pulsed in the process direction.

Provided are stiffened stringer panels with integrated shim structures. An example composite panel comprises a skin member having an inner surface, and a stringer positioned on the inner surface. The stringer comprises a first flange portion and a second flange portion with the first flange portion and the second flange portion contacting the inner surface. The composite panel further comprises an integrated shim positioned on the first flange portion. The integrated shim may comprise a sacrificial material configured to be trimmed to the desired geometry. The sacrificial material may comprise a glass fiber reinforced plastic fabric pre-impregnated with resin. The integrated shim may be configured to interface with internal support structures of a wing assembly. The integrated shim may be configured to he machined to fit dimensions and measurements corresponding to the internal support structures of the wing assembly.

A drone includes a frame and a fuselage. The fuselage is coupled to the frame extending away from the frame. The fuselage has a front panel and a bottom panel, and the front panel is positioned at an angle between the bottom surface of the frame and the bottom panel of the fuselage. A first wing is opposite a second wing and are coupled to the frame. The first and second wings extend outwardly from opposite sides of the frame. A first and second mounting member are coupled to the frame and extend outwardly from opposite sides of the frame. A plurality of power generator systems are included and each system is coupled to the first or second mounting member. Each power generator system comprises a power source coupled to a propeller.