Expandable tooling systems and methods
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsXiaoxi Wang, Gary Georgeson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Prior to curing a composite workpiece assembly, an expandable element can be inserted into a cavity of the workpiece assembly. The expandable element is configured to expand when a predetermined change is produced in an attribute of the element. The attribute can be a temperature of the element. The element is expanded by producing the predetermined change, and the workpiece assembly is cured while the expanded element is in the cavity, so that the expanded element applies positive pressure to inner surfaces of the cavity during curing. The expanded element can be removed from the cavity after curing. The expanded element can comprise a plurality of expandable pellets.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a first composite workpiece, the method comprising:
- inserting a plurality of unexpanded pellets into a cavity of an uncured composite workpiece assembly including at least the first composite workpiece, the plurality of unexpanded pellets being configured to expand when a predetermined change is produced in an attribute of the plurality of unexpanded pellets;
- expanding the plurality of unexpanded pellets in the cavity by producing the predetermined change in the attribute of the plurality of unexpanded pellets;
- curing the composite workpiece assembly while the plurality of expanded pellets remain discrete from one another in the cavity;
- and
- removing the plurality of expanded pellets from the cavity of the cured workpiece assembly.
A method of manufacturing a first composite workpiece, the method comprising:
- inserting an unexpanded expandable first element into a cavity of an uncured composite workpiece assembly including at least the first composite workpiece, the unexpanded first element being configured to expand when a predetermined change is produced in an attribute of the unexpanded first element;
- inserting a contractible second element into the cavity, the contractible second element being configured to shrink when cooled from a heated curing temperature to a lower temperature;
- expanding the unexpanded first element by producing the predetermined change in the attribute of the unexpanded first element;
- curing the composite workpiece assembly at a heated curing temperature while the expanded first element is in the cavity;
- shrinking the contractible second element by cooling the contractible second element from the heated curing temperature toward the lower temperature;
- and
- removing the shrunken second element from the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.