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.

A tensioning system that can be used with a heater blanket and a vacuum bag for heating a workpiece can include a tensioner including at least one flexible rod. The tensioner can further include an end cap positioned on one or both ends of the flexible rod. The tensioner can be inserted through one or more sleeves attached to the vacuum bag, and each end of the flexible rod can be positioned within a pocket and thereby attached to the vacuum bag. In one implementation, the flexible rod can be rotated relative to the one or more end caps to decrease or increase a length of the tensioner, and the length of the tensioner is thereby adjustable. The tension applied to the vacuum bag can mitigate sealing of a seal of the vacuum bag with a layup mandrel.

A vacuum probe comprises a sharpened body that is displaceable downward and toward a vacuum bag during vacuum hose quick connection. The sharpened body and a valve element inside the vacuum probe move in tandem until the sharpened body projects outside the vacuum probe. A vacuum pressure applied via the vacuum hose pulls the vacuum bag upwards and towards the projecting sharpened body, which then punctures the vacuum bag, thereby enabling air under the vacuum bag to be evacuated via the vacuum probe as vacuum pressure continues to be applied.

A method for vacuum bag sealing a composite part including: using a composite bagging sheet including a first sealing surface and a first interlocking strip coupled to the first sealing surface of the composite bagging sheet; joining the first interlocking strip with a second interlocking strip coupled to a second sealing surface; and forming a sealed vacuum bag around an uncured composite part positioned between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface.

A co-consolidation tool, including a heating assembly to receive one or more thermoplastic parts and to apply a consolidation temperature to the one or more thermoplastic parts, a pressure bladder to apply a consolidation pressure to the one or more thermoplastic parts, and a support insert shaped and configured to support and at least partially surround at least one of the one or more thermoplastic parts, wherein at least one of heating assembly and the pressure bladder is shaped to receive and support the support insert.

The in-situ rebuild method comprises roughening by a roughening technique a surrounding inner or outer surface to be treated around a defective section of a pipe or containment structure, applying one or more layers of a self-adhesive fiber sheet onto the roughened surface to be treated, encapsulating with a vacuum bag the one or more layers of the self-adhesive fiber sheet laying on the surface to be treated, creating by means of a vacuum system a low pressure into a space between the vacuum bag and the surface to be treated, injecting by means of an injection system an impregnation curable resin into the mentioned space, stopping the injecting and letting the impregnation curable resin to cure thereby forming a composite rebuild laminate on the surface to be treated surrounding the defective section, and disconnecting the vacuum system and the injection system and removing the vacuum bag.

A vacuum port base comprises an upper face, a lower face, a first channel, and a second channel. The upper face is configured to interface with a vacuum port. The lower face is configured to interface with a surface of a tool. The first channel formed in the lower face is configured to receive an edge breather. The second channel formed within the vacuum port base is configured to receive the vacuum port such that the vacuum port is in fluid communication with the first channel and the edge breather to remove gases from a composite structure.

A plurality of segments of radius filler is positioned onto a radius filler forming tool. The plurality of segments of radius filler is applied to a stringer in a single placement step.

A simple and inexpensive method for forming a vacuum bagging film includes formation of ribs, each by a sequence including placement of pressing members on the film, on either side of a region of the film, then translational displacement of at least a second of the pressing members, to reduce a distance mutually separating the pressing members, while exerting respective pressures on the film by each of the pressing members such that the pressing member in translation drives the film with it by friction, whereby the region of the film is deformed by buckling in forming the rib, then the stopping of the translational displacement, and then removal of the pressing members.

A structure comprising a plurality of walls defining a bladder cavity, the bladder cavity comprises an initial cross section size. A first plurality of wave features provided along at least one of the plurality of walls defining the bladder cavity. In one arrangement, the first plurality of wave features allow the structure to expand from the initial cross section size to a second cross section size after the structure becomes inflated during a composite charge cure, the second cross section size larger than the initial cross sectional size.