Part made from composite material, comprising a reinforcement against delamination, and production method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a part made from composite material that includes a base and a T-shaped reinforcement. The T-shaped reinforcement includes a first L-shaped element having a first right-angled connection portion and a second L-shaped element having a second right-angled connection portion. The part further includes a plurality of needles, each connecting the base to the T-shaped reinforcement of the part, close to the connection portions and extending in multiple directions so as to oppose, in particular, the separation of the base from the T-shaped reinforcement.

Claims

1. A composite material workpiece comprising: a soleplate; a T-shaped reinforcement comprising a first L-shaped member and a second L-shaped member arranged back-to-back to form a T, wherein the first L-shaped member includes a first base and the second L-shaped member includes a second base, the first and second bases each extending on the soleplate, wherein the first L-shaped member includes a first rib and the second L-shaped member includes a second rib, the first and second ribs attached back-to-back to form a web, wherein the first L-shaped member includes a first connecting portion and the second L-shaped member includes a second connecting portion that connects said ribs on said first and second bases; a plurality of needles connecting the soleplate on the T-shaped reinforcement in a vicinity of said first and second connecting portions, and extending in several directions through the soleplate and the T-shaped reinforcement; and a core housed in a cavity delimited by a junction area between the soleplate, the first connecting portion, and the second connecting portion, wherein the plurality of needles pass through said core, at least one portion of the plurality of needles extends radially along a radius of curvature of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, at least another portion of the plurality of needles extends in a direction of the first and second ribs, and the plurality of needles extend in a star configuration by intersecting at a center of the core and said workpiece.

2. The composite material workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the needles are formed by pultruded threads.

3. The composite material workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the core is deformable to substantially match a shape of the L-shaped members.

4. A manufacturing process of a composite material workpiece according to claim 1, the manufacturing process comprising: one deposition step of the first L-shaped member and the second L-shaped member into a mold, one deposition step of the core, one deposition step of the soleplate which results in trapping the core, and one compaction step of the workpiece which presses the L-shaped members, the soleplate and the core together, to penetrate the needles through the L-shaped members and the soleplate.

5. The manufacturing process of a composite material workpiece according to claim 4, wherein the deposition step of the core comprises: inserting the needles through the core then inserting the core into the cavity delimited by a junction area between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of said L-shaped members.

6. The manufacturing process of a composite material workpiece according claim 4 further comprising: a molding step of the workpiece which is carried out following the compaction step and which includes molding the workpiece and injecting resin into the workpiece.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view which illustrates a composite workpiece according to the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view which illustrates a central core and reinforcement needles bonding plies of the composite workpiece of FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a detailed schematic cross-sectional view which illustrates the central core and the reinforcement needles of FIG. 2.

(5) The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

(7) In the description and the claims, the terminology longitudinal, vertical and transverse will be adopted without limitation with reference to the trihedron L, V, T indicated in the figures.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a composite material workpiece 10 which includes a soleplate 12 and a T-shaped reinforcement 14, the soleplate 12 and the T-shaped reinforcement 14 being each made of fibrous plies impregnated with resin.

(9) The soleplate 12 has a horizontal flat shape which extends in a longitudinal direction.

(10) The T-shaped reinforcement 14 comprises a first L-shaped member 16a and a second L-shaped member 16b which are arranged back-to-back to generally form a T.

(11) The workpiece 10 has a symmetrical design along a vertical and longitudinal plane of symmetry P shown in FIG. 2.

(12) In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the identical and symmetrical members along the plane of symmetry P are indicated by the same numerical references distinguished by the letters a or b.

(13) The first L-shaped member 16a and the second L-shaped member 16b comprise a first base 18a and a second base 18b respectively, which are each extended on the soleplate 12 of the workpiece 10.

(14) Also, the first L-shaped member 16a and the second L-shaped member 16b include a first rib 20a and a second rib 20b, respectively, which are attached back-to-back to form a reinforcement core.

(15) Furthermore, the first rib 20a and the second rib 20b are connected on their respective base 18a, 18b by a first bent connecting portion 22a and a second bent connecting portion 22b respectively.

(16) It will be noted that the angle formed between the ribs 20a, 20b and their associated base 18a, 18b is a right angle.

(17) However, without limitation, the ribs 20a, 20b may be more or less inclined relative to the associated base 18a, 18b.

(18) As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the workpiece 10 includes a core 24, also called nail heading, which is housed in a cavity 27 delimited by a junction area between the soleplate 12, the first connecting portion 22a and the second connecting portion 22b.

(19) The core 24 is constituted by a set of fibers held together, the core 24 being designed to cover areas without fibers, avoid the resins pockets and provide the non-expansion of the plies in this junction area.

(20) To this end, the core 24 is deformable to match the generally triangular shape drawn by the bent connecting portions 22a, 22b.

(21) According to another feature, the workpiece 10 comprises a plurality of needles 26 each of which connects the soleplate 12 to the T-shaped reinforcement 14 of the workpiece 10, in the vicinity of the connecting portions 22a, 22b.

(22) As used herein, the term needles 26 shall be construed to mean any fine member capable of being held taut, unlike a loose thread.

(23) In one form, the needles 26 are made of a material compatible with the materials used to manufacture the workpiece 10 and the core 24, such as a composite material.

(24) According to one form, the needles 26 are a pultruded thread, that is to say a thread obtained by a pultrusion process, and which includes the same or similar type of fibers as the fibers used to make the plies of the core 24 and the rest of the workpiece 10. This type of fiber is for example carbon fibers.

(25) It will be noted that the needles 26 pass throughout the core 24.

(26) With reference to FIG. 3, the needles 26 extend in several directions to oppose in particular the spacing of the soleplate 12 and the T-shaped reinforcement 14.

(27) More particularly, the needles 26 extend in a star configuration as shown by intersecting at the center of the core 24 and the workpiece 10.

(28) A first group A of needles includes needles 26 which extend generally radially along the radius of curvature of the first connecting portion 22a and the second connecting portion 22b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b.

(29) The needles 26 of the first group A extend from the first connecting portion 22a and the second connecting portion 22b, to the soleplate 12 of the workpiece 10, by passing through the core 24.

(30) A second group B of needles includes needles 26 which extend generally vertically in the direction of the ribs 20a, 20b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b.

(31) The needles 26 of the second group B extend from the ribs 20a, 20b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b, to the soleplate 12 of the workpiece 10, by passing through the core 24.

(32) The use of needles 26 allows a good penetration to the needles 26 in the entire thickness of the workpiece 10 while maintaining their rigidity.

(33) Thus, the needles 26 will be able to act from the first moments of mechanical stresses of the workpiece 10, to oppose in particular the unfolding of the connecting portions 22a, 22b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b.

(34) The workpiece 10 is made according to a process described hereinafter.

(35) The manufacturing process according to the present disclosure includes a deposition step of the first L-shaped member 16a and the second L-shaped member 16b into a mold.

(36) Subsequent to the deposition step, the process includes a deposition step of the core 24 which comprises inserting the needles 26 through the core 24 then inserting the assembly formed by the core 24 and the needles 26 in the hollow formed by the connecting portions 22a, 22b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b.

(37) Without limitation, this deposition step of the core 24 may be carried out differently, by inserting the core 24 into the hollow formed by the connecting portions 22a, 22b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b then by inserting the needles 26 through the core accordingly positioned.

(38) The process also includes a deposition step of the soleplate 12 which comprises extending the soleplate 12 on the base 18a, 18b of the L-shaped members 16a, 16b so as to trap the core 24.

(39) Subsequently to the deposition step of the soleplate 12, the process includes a compaction step of the workpiece 10 which comprises pressing the L-shaped members 16a, 16b, the soleplate 12 and the core 24 together, in order to finish penetrating the needles 26 through the L-shaped members 16a, 16b and the soleplate 12.

(40) Finally, the process includes a molding step of the workpiece 10 which is carried out subsequent to the compaction step and which comprises molding the workpiece 10 and injecting resin into the workpiece 10 through the fibrous plies.

(41) The present description of the present disclosure is given by way of non-limiting example.

(42) The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.