Method for producing a leading edge skin by baking a stack incorporating heating elements and layers of pre-impregnated fibres

Abstract

A method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, including an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge. The method includes curing a stack in a mold between two molding surfaces facing each other. The stack includes the resistive heating elements assembly, two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of the assembly so that the heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films, two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibers adhering respectively to the two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving the heating elements, and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibers.

Claims

1. A method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, comprising an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge, said method comprising: curing a stack in a mould between two moulding surfaces facing each other, said stack comprising: said assembly of resistive heating elements; two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of said assembly so that the resistive heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films; two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibres adhering respectively to said two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving said resistive heating elements; and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres, wherein said curing is achieved by an implementation of following successive operations: keeping on circulating an injection resin in said mould so as to generate and keep a counter-pressure at a periphery of the stack for pressurization of the injection resin contained in said stack until the injection resin of the stack has set; then stopping the circulating of the injection resin after the injection resin of the stack has set, leading to the injection resin being introduced between the stack and each of the two mould surfaces in order to apply a surface pressure on said stack until the said injection resin in said stack sets.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said assembly of resistive heating elements further comprises a plurality of electrical connection terminals which pass through one or more holes made through the stack elements located on one side of said resistive heating elements, said connection terminals protruding from said stack in such a way as to be inserted into recesses made on one of the two moulding surfaces.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said stack also comprises a metal panel at each end of the stack.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said resistive heating elements are placed flat on the corresponding adhesive film before being placed in the mould.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the keeping keeps on circulating the injection resin such that the counter-pressure does not decrease until the injection resin of the stack has set.

6. A method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, comprising an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge, said method comprising: curing a stack in a mould between two moulding surfaces facing each other, said stack comprising: said assembly of resistive heating elements; two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of said assembly so that the resistive heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films; two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibres adhering respectively to said two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving said resistive heating elements; and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres, wherein said assembly of resistive heating elements further comprises a plurality of electrical connection terminals which pass through one or more holes made through the stack elements located on one side of said resistive heating elements, said connection terminals protruding from said stack in such a way as to be inserted into recesses made on one of the two moulding surfaces, and each recess is filled with a block of silicone through which one or more of said electrical connection terminals pass.

7. A method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, comprising an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge, said method comprising: curing a stack in a mould between two moulding surfaces facing each other, said stack comprising: said assembly of resistive heating elements; two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of said assembly so that the resistive heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films; two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibres adhering respectively to said two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving said resistive heating elements; and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres, wherein said layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres form a core of said stack, the elements of the latter being arranged symmetrically in relation to said core, except for the assembly of resistive heating elements present on only one side of said core.

8. A method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, comprising an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge, said method comprising: curing a stack in a mould between two moulding surfaces facing each other, said stack comprising: said assembly of resistive heating elements; two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of said assembly so that the resistive heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films; two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibres adhering respectively to said two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving said resistive heating elements; and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres, wherein said curing is achieved by an implementation of following successive operations: heating the mould by a heated plate press designed to apply a pressure on the stack via the mould, the heated plates being brought to a temperature T1, and heating of an injection resin designed to be circulated in the mould, the injection resin being heated to a temperature T0; after stabilisation of the temperature of the heating plates at temperature T1 and ageing of the stack resin, circulating at a time t1 the injection resin in the mould, so as to generate a counter-pressure at the periphery of the stack, for pressurization of the resin contained in the latter, said circulating the injection resin being carried out at a pressure P1 with an increase in temperature from the temperature T0 to temperature T1; at a time t1, bringing the pressure of the injection resin and the pressure on the stack applied by the press via the mould to a value P1; at a time t1, increasing temperature of the injection resin and of the press up to a temperature T2 reached at a time t2 which corresponds to the setting of the stack resin; after the stack resin has set, stopping the circulating the injection resin, which remains present in the mould, it being introduced between the stack and each of the two mould surfaces in order to apply a surface pressure on said stack, until the injection resin sets at a time t3; and after the injection resin has set, maintaining the temperature of the press at a temperature T2 until a time t4, whereas the pressure on the stack applied by the press via the mould falls to a value P0.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the operation for raising the temperature of the injection resin and of the press initiated at time t1 is achieved at a speed which is between 1.5 and 2.5 C./minute.

10. A method for manufacturing a leading edge of an aircraft wing element using a leading edge skin obtained by an implementation of a method for producing a skin of a leading edge for an aircraft wing element, comprising an assembly of resistive heating elements designed to form an integral part of a system for de-icing and/or anti-icing of the leading edge, said method for manufacturing a leading edge of an aircraft wing element comprising: curing a stack in a mould between two moulding surfaces facing each other; and mounting one or more terminal blocks onto an internal surface of said skin and connecting thereon connection terminals for the resistive heating elements; wherein said stack comprising: said assembly of resistive heating elements; two adhesive films arranged respectively on either side of said assembly so that the resistive heating elements adhere to each of these two adhesive films; two layers of electrically insulating pre-impregnated fibres adhering respectively to said two adhesive films on the sides opposite those receiving said resistive heating elements; and a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibres, and wherein said curing is achieved by an implementation of following successive operations: keeping on circulating an injection resin in said mould so as to generate and keep a counter-pressure at a periphery of the stack for pressurization of the injection resin contained in said stack until the injection resin of the stack has set; then stopping the circulating of the injection resin after the injection resin of the stack has set, leading to the injection resin being introduced between the stack and each of the two mould surfaces in order to apply a surface pressure on said stack until the said injection resin in said stack sets.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the keeping keeps on circulating the injection resin such that the counter-pressure does not decrease until the injection resin of the stack has set.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) This description will be made in relation to the appended drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a moving flap of the leading edge of an aircraft wing, which incorporates a leading edge skin obtained using a manufacturing method which is in accordance with the present invention:

(3) FIG. 2 shows the stack intended to undergo a curing step in order to form the skin shown in the previous figure;

(4) FIGS. 3 to 9 represent the various successive steps in a preferred embodiment of the manufacturing method according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 10 shows a graph which shows in a detailed manner the various temperature and pressure conditions applied during the curing step of said stack; and

(6) FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of the connection of a terminal block onto the connection terminals of the heating elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) With reference first of all to FIG. 1, a movable flap of a leading edge 1 for an aircraft wing is shown where this flap is in particular equipped with a leading edge 2 intended to be obtained by the implementation of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

(8) The leading edge 2 comprises a skin 4 of low thickness of, for example, between 3 and 20 mm. Its external surface 4a defines the aerodynamic profile of the leading edge, whilst its internal surface 4b is connected to various elements, in particular terminal blocks 6 intended for the electrical connection of the resistive heating elements incorporated into the skin 4. The terminal blocks 6 and the skin 4 together form the leading edge of the flap, with the latter comprising in addition conventional elements of the reinforcement rib 8 type, held against the internal surface 4b and aligned substantially orthogonally to the wingspan direction, and in addition arms 10 allowing the flap to be electrically connected to the main structure of the wing, and/or to guide the removal and refitting of the flap.

(9) Furthermore the wing incorporates a mixed de-icing and/or anti-icing system for the leading edge, designed to protect the aircraft from accumulation of ice on the external surface 4a of the skin 4.

(10) The de-icing and/or anti-icing system which is not clearly visible in FIG. 1, conventionally comprises a source of electrical power, a wiring system 12 for distributing the power required to the surface 4a to be heated, resistive heating elements in the zones to be protected from the accumulation of ice, temperature sensors at the heated surface 4a, a control unit to detect icing conditions and to regulate the heat supplied to the surface, then a control station mounted on a display panel to keep the crew informed of the operation of the system and to activate the system.

(11) The method according to the invention relates to the manufacture of the skin 4, which is made in one piece using the SQRTM technique, starting with the creation of a stack of layers/folds, outside the mould or directly into the mould, and followed by a step for curing this stack.

(12) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of this stack 14 after it has been completed.

(13) It comprises a central core, also called the stack core, intended to carry out the structural function of the skin 4. These layers, once laminated are in fact intended to meet the requirement for structural strength and for reduction of the damaging effect of local low-energy impacts on the elements of the surrounding system.

(14) It involves a stack with a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated carbon fibre 20, for example pre-impregnated with Epoxy type resin or BMI (Bismaleimide) type resin. The number of layers may be between 5 and 40, each made of woven fibres or of unidirectional fibres. These are preferably stacked directly one on top of the other, without other elements inserted between them. The tackiness of these layers 20 means that there is satisfactory mutual support between them.

(15) Above the layers of carbon fibre 20 a layer of pre-impregnated glass fibre 22 is placed, for example pre-impregnated with Epoxy type resin or again BMI type resin. An adhesive film 24 covers and adheres by means of one of its two faces, to the layer 22, and in addition on its opposite face, higher in the stack, a resistive heating element assembly 26 also adheres to this film. The film 24 may be of the conventional type, made of polymer for example, again based on Epoxy or BMI resin. Within the stack, the elements are selected so that the resins that they incorporate are of the same nature, for reasons of chemical compatibility. At ambient temperature it exhibits a consistency which allows it to cause the two elements in contact with its two faces respectively, to adhere, although this adhesion is not comparable with structural strength by adhesion as is conventionally meant in the aeronautical field. This structural strength is only achieved after the stack is cured and once the resin which forms this film 24 and which adheres to the adjacent layers has hardened.

(16) The resistive heating elements 26 are electrical heating elements which allow the laminated material to be electro-thermally heated. Their geometry is complex and precise, in order to be able to apply the amount of heating required at all points on the external surface of the skin.

(17) The assembly 26, of a low thickness which does not exceed 120 m, is also covered by a similar adhesive film 28, itself covered by another layer 30 of pre-impregnated glass fibre. The two glass-fibre layers 22, 30 therefore hugs the resistive elements 26 in such a manner as to electrically insulate them, on the one hand from the carbon fibres 20 and on the other hand from a metal panel 24 which forms the last layer of the stack 14, and which adheres to the layer of glass fibres 30 via another adhesive film 32 which is identical or similar to the previous ones.

(18) The metal plate 34, made of thin titanium or of aluminium, is essentially provided to meet the requirements for protection against erosion and against lightning.

(19) In the stack 14, under the carbon fibre layers 20, overall the same layers as those arranged on top of the core 20 are envisaged. This symmetry, designed to minimise deformation problems on curing, therefore implies that there are successively present, from bottom to top, a metal panel 34, an adhesive film 32, a layer of pre-impregnated glass fibre 30, adhesive films 28, 24 and another layer of glass fibre 22. The only element missing from the lower part of the stack 14 which prevents there being perfect symmetry in relation to the core 20 is therefore the assembly of resistive heating elements, since there is no benefit in it being present in this zone of the laminated material.

(20) It should be noted that the upper surface of the panel 34 is intended to form the external surface 4a of the leading edge skin, whilst the lower surface of the panel 34 is intended to form the interior surface 4b of the same skin. The panel 34 also confers improved overall mechanical strength to the skin against impacts likely to occur on the external surface of the panel 34.

(21) With reference now to FIGS. 3 to 8, another preferred way of manufacturing the stack 14 is shown.

(22) First of all, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the stacking of all the elements intended to be located beneath the layer of glass fibres 22 is carried out, these elements therefore running from the panel 34 to the folds of carbon 20. They form an assembly identified as 40 in FIG. 3, crossed by one or more holes 42 which extend along the direction of stacking and which are here in the form of slots. Forms other than slots may nevertheless be envisaged such as a circular form, without going outside the context of the invention. This assembly 40 may be formed manually or automatically, in the mould or outside it, preferably flat.

(23) Then the adhesive film 24 is adhered to the layer of pre-impregnated glass fibres 22, preferably flat, outside the mould. These two elements 22, 24 also have holes in them so as to extend the slots 42 when they are subsequently placed on the assembly 40, so that these slots extend to the heating elements intended to be adhered onto the film 24. This adhesion is achieved by peeling, as is shown schematically in FIG. 4, and preferably using reference points made by laser beams in order to ensure precise positioning of the resistances 26. The adhesion is such that the assembly obtained, namely the layer of glass fibre 22, the adhesive film 24 and the heating elements 26, may be handled from the initial flat position shown in FIG. 5 to the position where it is implanted on the assembly 40 shown in FIG. 6, without the risk of altering the position of the resistances 26 in relation to the layer 22.

(24) In FIG. 6 it can be seen that the heating elements 26 comprise electrical connection terminals 44 which are inserted through the holes/slots 42 so as to protrude towards the bottom of the stack. The end of these terminals 44 is therefore protected by a silicone block 46 which protrudes from the stack, and therefore from the internal metal panel, so that it is not coated with resin during curing.

(25) The stack obtained is then placed in a mould 50 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, this mould having two facing moulding surfaces 52, 54, forming respectively a form and a counter-form.

(26) During the placement of the stacking on the internal surface 54 of the mould, the silicone blocks 46 surrounding the terminal blocks 44 are inserted into matching recesses 56 in this surface 54, as can be seen in FIG. 8.

(27) Then the adhesive film 28, the pre-impregnated glass fibre layer 30, the last adhesive film 32 and the external metal panel 34 are placed in the stack 14 above the resistive elements 26, so as to complete this stack.

(28) FIG. 9 shows the different steps of the SQRTM technique, from the placing of the stack into the mould 50. FIG. 10 in turn shows a graph which details how the curing step is carried out, in particular by showing the various temperature and pressure conditions applied in this step. On the graph: line (a) corresponds to the temperature (in C.) of the heating plates of the press as a function of time (in minutes). It also substantially corresponds to the temperature of the tooling element assembly, as well as that of the stack; line (b) corresponds to the temperature (in C.) of the injection resin as a function of time (in minutes); line (c) corresponds to the pressure (in bar) on the stack applied by the press via the mould, as a function of time (in minutes); line (d) corresponds to the pressure (in bar) of the injection resin in the mould as a function of time (in minutes); and line (e) corresponds to the amount (in liters) of injection resin circulating through the mould as a function of time (in minutes). The mould 50 is first of all introduced into a heated plate press 60 as can be seen in the first diagram of FIG. 9. The next diagram shows the press being closed.

(29) At a time t0, the mould 50 is heated by the heating plates 60, where the latter are brought to a temperature T1 which is of order, for example, of 80 to 120 C., at a speed of 1.5 to 2.5 C./min, as shown by line (a). Simultaneously, an injection resin intended to be circulated later in the mould 50 is heated to a temperature T0, which is for example of the order of 60 to 100 C., as shown by line (b). This resin is preferably of the same kind as that of the pre-impregnated fibres of the stack.

(30) At the time t0, the temperature of the heating plates 60 reaches the value T1, which is maintained for an ageing period for the resin in the pre-impregnated fibre layers in the stack, which lasts a maximum of 20 minutes up to the time t1. This ageing may also apply to the resin of the adhesive films in the stack. Some resins however do not need to undergo ageing, so that the time t1 then corresponds to time t0.

(31) At this time t1, after the temperature of the heating plates has stabilised at temperature T1 and the ageing of the resin of the stack, the injection resin 62 is circulated in the mould 50 as shown in the third diagram in FIG. 9, and as shown by line (e). This circulation is achieved using conventional means, of the vacuum pump and resin reservoir type. The circulation of the injection resin 62 is carried out at a pressure P1, of the order of 1 to 3 bars as shown in line (d), and is accompanied by a rise in temperature from temperature T0 to temperature T1. The injection resin 62 present in the volume L1 in the mould, generates a counter pressure at the periphery of the stack around which its circulates before being continuously recirculated, the function of this counter pressure being to pressurise the resin contained in the stack 14. Consequently the injection resin 62 is not meant to flow through the stack 14, but essentially serves to confine the resin of the pre-impregnated materials in order to prevent faults/voids appearing at the periphery of the stratified material obtained.

(32) At a time t1 which is separated by a period of less than 20 minutes from time t1, the pressure of the injection resin 62 and the pressure on the stack 14 applied by the press 60 via the mould 50, shown schematically by line (c), are both rapidly brought to a value P1 which is, for example, of the order of 7 bar. As for the temperature of the resin 62 and the temperature of the heating elements 60, these are maintained at the value T1 up to an instant t1, at which an increase in the temperature of the injection resin and of the plates is initiated, up to a temperature T2 of the order of 175 to 185 C. for an Epoxy resin and of the order of 185 to 195 C., and preferably at a speed of about 1.5 to 2.5 C./min.

(33) The value T2 is reached at a time t2 which corresponds to the setting of the resin of the stack, which causes this resin to shrink. After the stack resin has set, the circulation of the injection resin is stopped, and the resin remains present in the mould 50, being introduced between the stack 14 and each of the two mould surfaces 52, 54 in order to apply a surface pressure on this stack. The introduction of the resin 62 between the stack 14 and the two surfaces 52, 54 is made possible due to the fact that during the shrinkage of the stack resin the upper part of the mould starts to bottom out on the lower part of the mould, whereas there was initially a significant gap provided between these two parts. Nevertheless the introduction of the resin between the stack 14 and the two surfaces 52, 54 maintains the level of the pressure applied by the press on the stack via the mould 50, but also via the injection resin 62 which then transmits this pressure to the stack 14.

(34) The pressure applied by the injection resin 62 on the upper and lower surfaces of the stack 14 is therefore maintained until the injection resin sets, at a time t3 which is separated by a period of, for example, less than 20 minutes from time t2. After this setting the shrinkage of the injection resin results in the pressure applied by the press on the stack falling to a very low value P0, just as the set injection resin pressure falls to this value.

(35) After the injection resin has set, the temperature of the press 60 is maintained at temperature T2 up to a time t4 which is separated by a period of 120 to 210 minutes from time t2 for an Epoxy resin, and a period of 180 to 210 minutes for a BMI resin, during which complete polymerisation of the leading edge skin occurs. It should be noted that during this polymerisation, shown in the fourth diagram of FIG. 9, the slots 42 in the stack are consolidated by the resin of the pre-impregnated fibre layers.

(36) Then, as has been shown in the last two diagrams of FIG. 9, the mould is extracted from the press, then opened, and the laminated skin 4 is withdrawn from the mould before undergoing trimming.

(37) Finally, with reference to FIG. 11, the leading edge is completed by fitting the terminal blocks 6 onto the interior surface 4b of the skin 4, and by connecting the connection terminals 44 for the heating elements 26 onto them. The terminals 44 are preferably thread-fastened onto the terminal blocks 6 allowing these heating elements 26 to be connected to the wiring system 12.

(38) The precise positioning of the resistive elements 26 favours easy assembly/disassembly of the terminal blocks, which is particularly important for handling purposes.

(39) It should be noted, however, that other means of connection can be envisaged for the electrical connection of the terminals 44, for example soldering/brazing, and that the terminals 44 may or may not protrude from the stack.

(40) Naturally those skilled in the art may make various modifications to the invention which has just been described, solely as non-restrictive examples.