# US 10,766,626 B2 · Single-piece extended laminar flow inlet lipskin > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,766,626 B2 - Document ID: US10766626B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/603,899 - Filed: 2017-05-24 - Published: 2018-11-29 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-24 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Luis Leon; Michael Nill; Pradip K. Saha; Carol S. Oliver; Ricole A. Johnson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766626B2 ## CPC - B64D 29/00: Power-plant nacelles, fairings or cowlings - B64D 33/02: of combustion air intakes - C21D 1/18: Hardening (C21D1/02 takes precedence); Quenching with or without subsequent tempering (quenching devices C21D1/62) - C22F 1/04: of aluminium or alloys based thereon - B23K 20/122: {using a non-consumable tool, e.g. friction stir welding} - F16B 5/08: by means of welds or the like (welding B23K) - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B) - C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00) - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - F16B: DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING (couplings for transmitting rotation F16D) ## Abstract Methods are disclosed for forming metal workpieces made from a heat-treatable metal that has been shaped and tempered according to specified protocols that facilitate formation of large contoured unitary metal structures having welds that are retained in the finished structure, and finished metal structures made according to such methods. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for making a heat-treated structure formed of metal, the method comprising: performing a first heat-treating process on a metal workpiece in an annealed condition, to transition the metal workpiece from an annealed condition to a first-hardened condition, said metal workpiece comprising at least one friction stir weld; forming the metal workpiece into a shaped metal workpiece while the metal workpiece is in the first-hardened condition; and performing a second heat-treating process on the shaped metal workpiece to transition the shaped metal workpiece from the first-hardened condition to a second-hardened condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the metal workpiece into the shaped metal workpiece comprises using at least one forming process to shape the metal workpiece into the shaped metal workpiece. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: forming the shaped metal workpiece into the finally-shaped metal workpiece while shaped metal workpiece is in the second-hardened condition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: using a plurality of forming processes to shape the metal workpiece into the finally-shaped metal workpiece. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming process is selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of performing the first heat-treating process and second heat-treating process further comprise: performing at least one age-hardening process on the metal workpiece in the first-hardened condition; performing at least one age-hardening process on the shaped metal workpiece in the second-hardened condition; and wherein the first-hardened condition comprises a first age-hardened condition, and the second-hardened condition comprises a second age-hardened condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the first heat-treating process comprises: solution heat-treating the metal and natural aging the metal workpiece. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein performing a second heat-treating process comprises: performing an artificial aging process on the shaped metal workpiece. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein performing a second heat-treating process comprises: performing a solution heat-treating process on the shaped metal workpiece; and performing an artificial aging process on the shaped metal workpiece. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the metal workpiece into a shaped workpiece comprises: using at least one forming process selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: forming the near finally shaped metal workpiece into a finally-shaped metal workpiece while the near finally shaped metal workpiece is in the second-hardened condition. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the shaped metal workpiece is a finally-shaped metal workpiece and further comprising: forming the metal workpiece into the finally-shaped metal workpiece using at least one forming process selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: using a plurality of forming processes to shape the metal workpiece, said plurality of forming processes selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the shaped metal workpiece comprises a friction stir weld. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: using a plurality of forming processes to shape the metal workpiece into the finally-shaped metal workpiece, said plurality of forming processes selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of using at least one explosion forming process on the shaped metal workpiece in the second hardened condition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, before the step of performing a first heat-treating process on a metal workpiece, further comprising: forming a metal sheet into the metal workpiece while the metal sheet is in the annealed condition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of forming a metal sheet further comprises: rolling the metal sheet into the metal workpiece. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of forming the metal sheet further comprises: forming the metal sheet, while the metal sheet is in the annealed condition, said forming process selected from the group consisting of: a super-plastic forming process; a super-plastic/diffusion bond forming process; a form-die forming process; an explosion forming process; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, further comprising: forming the metal sheet into the metal workpiece while the metal sheet is in the annealed condition; and forming the sheet into a conical metal workpiece or a frusto-conical metal workpiece.