The present invention provide a forming method of forming a composition on a substrate using a mold, wherein the mold has a contact surface and a cavity, the method comprising: supplying a gas into the cavity so as to increase a pressure in the cavity to deform the contact surface into a convex shape toward the substrate; relatively tilting the mold with respect to the substrate; bringing the contact surface and the composition on the substrate into contact with each other in a state in which the contact surface has been deformed in the supplying the gas and the mold has been tilted in the relatively tilting; and further supplying the gas into the cavity so as to increase a deformation amount of the contact surface after the contact surface and the composition start to contact each other in the bringing.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a composite part is provided. A composite laminate is formed upon a first tool that provides a first mold line for the composite laminate. A second tool is placed against the composite laminate in which a tooling surface of the second tool is used to create a second mold line for the composite laminate. The second tool is formed from a plurality of prefabricated sections joined by a joining material in which the tooling surface is formed by a layer adhered to the plurality of prefabricated sections and the joining material.

One embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure may use a fixture with one or more boot recesses formed therein. An embedded member may be engaged with a boot and placed in a boot recess. Substrate lay-up may be placed around all or a portion of the embedded member and an outer member may be positioned over the substrate lay-up. A cover may be positioned over the outer member and engaged with the fixture. The pressure within an interior portion of the fixture may be reduced to less than ambient pressure and resin may be introduced to interact with the substrate lay-up and allowed to cure.

Methods of manufacturing composite workpieces that include positioning a heat-generating element proximate to an uncured composite workpiece, triggering the heat-generating element to produce an exothermic chemical reaction or exothermic physical reaction so that the temperature of the uncured composite workpiece is raised to a predetermined first temperature, and curing the composite workpiece while it is at a temperature that is at least the predetermined first temperature.

A method of forming a barrel portion including obtaining a mandrel shaped to define at least an inner surface of a barrel portion of the bat, wrapping a first plurality of layers of fiber composite material about the mandrel, placing a removable material over a first portion of the first plurality of layers, and wrapping a second plurality of layers of fiber composite material over the removable material and the portion of the first plurality of layers not covered by the removable material for form an assembly. The method further includes separating the mandrel from the assembly, inserting an expandable member within the assembly, inserting the assembly into a barrel-forming mold, and molding the assembly in a single molding cycle, curing the first and second layers with the removable material to form the barrel portion of the bat, and removing the removable material and the member from the barrel portion.

Described herein are methods and systems for forming composite stringer assemblies or, more specifically, for shaping composite charges while forming these stringer assemblies. A system comprises a bladder, having a bladder core, and a bladder skin. The bladder core is formed from foam. The bladder skin is formed from an elastic material and encloses the bladder core. When a composite stringer assembly is formed, the bladder is positioned over a charge base. The charge base later becomes a stringer base, such as a fuselage section or a wing skin. A charge hat is then positioned over the bladder and is conformed to the bladder. A combination of the bladder skin and the bladder core provides support during this forming operation and later while the stringer assembly is cured. In some examples, the bladder core is collapsible for the removal of the bladder from the cavity of the stringer assembly.

A ply transporting and compacting apparatus comprises a rigid frame, a top-layer sheet of flexible rubber material fastened to the frame, and a bottom-layer sheet of perforated flexible rubber material having openings. The apparatus also comprises a middle-layer sheet of flow media material disposed in a first plenum area that is defined between the top and bottom layer sheets. The apparatus further comprises a moving device coupled to the frame and arranged to lower the frame and sheets onto a composite ply at a trimming location to pick up the composite ply with a suction force when a vacuum is drawn in the first plenum area to create the suction force through the openings of the bottom-layer sheet.

An assembly system includes a fixture configured to support a structure including at least one component to receive a malleable material, and a bladder system coupled to the fixture. The bladder system includes a hollowed frame having sidewalls that support a bladder disposed therein. The hollowed frame has an opening that exposes an outer portion of the bladder and is configured to guide the exposed outer portion externally from the hollowed frame toward a targeted area of the structure. In response to inflating the bladder, the outer portion of the bladder extends through the opening and applies a force against the at least one component so as to form a design feature element from the malleable material.

A foam molded product having a reinforcement layer including a short fiber provided on a surface layer is a cushion member of a seat cushion on which an occupant sits in a vehicle seat. A reinforcement range with the reinforcement layer is set in a predetermined range of an exterior surface along a lower surface of the seat cushion. In the reinforcement range, a plurality of recesses recessed from the exterior surface toward inside of the foam molded product are formed, and the reinforcement layer is formed on the surface layer including an inner surface of each recess. A method of manufacturing the foam molded product includes adhering and depositing the charged short fiber onto a cavity surface of a mold to form a fiber layer, compressing the fiber layer with a silicone rubber sheet, and then molding the foam molded product.

A method for producing a fibrous preform includes placing a fibrous mat onto a depositing surface, the depositing surface being formed by a web face of a mold core, a first support surface of a first support installation and a second support surface of a second support installation. The fibrous mat is covered by a film and is pressed in a planar manner onto the depositing surface by generating a vacuum. Bringing to bear the fibrous mat on lateral faces of the mold core that extend transversely to the web face is subsequently performed by moving the support installations and the mold core relative to one another in such a manner that a level differential between the web face of the mold core and the support surfaces of the support installations is enlarged. A device for producing a fibrous preform is furthermore described.