Composite fasteners, associated blanks and also methods and apparatus for the installation of such fasteners are disclosed. An exemplary composite rivet disclosed comprises an elongated body including braided reinforcement fibers embedded inside the body and supported in a matrix material. Also disclosed are structural assemblies comprising composite fasteners and panels or other parts comprising composite and/or other materials.

One aspect of a process of forming an aircraft component includes bonding a first end of a honeycomb structure to a surface of an aircraft skin member, the honeycomb structure including multiple connected cells. Foam is sprayed on a second end of the honeycomb structure opposite the first end. The process also includes curing the foam on the second end of the honeycomb structure.

In one embodiment, a method may comprise heating a composite material into a viscous form, wherein the composite material comprises a thermoplastic and a plurality of reinforcement fibers, wherein the plurality of reinforcement fibers is randomly arranged within the thermoplastic. The method may further comprise extruding a plurality of strands of the composite material, wherein extruding the plurality of strands causes the plurality of reinforcement fibers within each strand to align. The method may further comprise arranging the plurality of strands of the composite material to form an assembly fixture, wherein the assembly fixture comprises an anisotropic thermal expansion property, and wherein the anisotropic thermal expansion property is based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the assembly fixture.

Composite fasteners, associated blanks and also methods and apparatus for the installation of such fasteners are disclosed. An exemplary composite rivet (10) disclosed comprises an elongated body including braided reinforcement fibers (14) embedded inside the body and supported in a matrix material (16). Also disclosed are structural assemblies comprising composite fasteners and panels or other parts comprising composite and/or other materials.

The invention relates to a process (100) for manufacturing an object (1) made of thermoplastic polymer composite from at least two parts (10) made of thermoplastic polymer composite, said thermoplastic polymer composite comprising a fibrous reinforcement and a thermoplastic polymer matrix, said process comprising the steps of:

arranging (120) the two parts (10) made of thermoplastic polymer composite adjacently or overlapping at an assembly interface zone (11), and

heating (130) to melt the thermoplastic polymer matrix at said assembly interface zone (11), so as to form an object (1) made of thermoplastic polymer composite comprising a welded interface (12).

A method of manufacturing a hollow composite structure is provided. The method includes forming a first portion of the hollow composite structure having at least one open region and at least one wall, the at least one wall partially defining a hollow interior. The method also includes bonding a laminate shell to the first portion of the hollow composite structure proximate to at least one location of the wall to cover the open region and enclose the hollow interior. The method further includes disposing a second portion of the hollow composite structure over the laminate shell, the second portion comprising a plurality of plies. The method yet further includes curing the first portion and the second portion during a final cure.

A yoke for providing a centrifugal force retention load path between a proprotor blade and a hub of a soft-in-plane proprotor system operable for use on a tiltrotor aircraft. The yoke includes a continuous loop having a longitudinal axis and first and second longitudinal sections extending between inboard and outboard arcuate sections. A flapping bearing receiving region is disposed at least partially within the inboard arcuate section to an interior of the continuous loop. A centrifugal force bearing receiving region is disposed at least partially within the outboard arcuate section to the interior of the continuous loop. The continuous loop is formed from a composite material having a plurality of double bias material plies and a plurality of unidirectional material plies such that the number of unidirectional material plies is greater than the number of double bias material plies.

A rotary wing aircraft that comprises a structural arrangement with at least one first fiber reinforced polymer component and at least one second fiber reinforced polymer component that are spaced apart from each other by an interspace and that are rigidly attached to an associated structural component, wherein the at least one first fiber reinforced polymer component and the at least one second fiber reinforced polymer component are at least partly interconnected by means of an electrically conductive connection, and wherein the electrically conductive connection comprises at least one sprayed layer of electrically conductive particles, the at least one sprayed layer of electrically conductive particles being provided in the interspace.

A transmission support for securing a transmission to a rotorcraft includes two side beams each including a roof beam portion configured to be secured to structural elements of the rotorcraft cabin, and a pylon beam portion extending from the roof beam portion toward the other of the side beams. The pylon beam portion is configured to engage the transmission upon the transmission being received between the side beams. The support further has cross beams extending between and interconnecting the two side beams. The side beams and cross beams are part of a monolithic structure. A method of manufacturing the transmission support is provided.

Layers of plies of composite material are laid on a convex tool surface. A first layer is placed with a first ply of a first section having a gap edge adjacent a gap edge of a first ply of a second section, the edges being parallel and a contraction distance from each other. A second layer is placed with a second ply of the first section having a gap edge adjacent a gap edge of a second ply of the second section, the edges being parallel and a contraction distance from each other, the second ply of the second section overlapping onto the first ply of the first section by a splice distance. Consolidation and curing cause contraction of the layers toward the tool, allowing the adjacent gap edges of each layer to be in close proximity or in contact after moving toward each other during the contraction.