Thermoplastic composite panel systems and methods
AssigneeRohr, Inc.
InventorsSamantha Landis, Guinevere Berg, Andrew Cai, Johann Steven Schrell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for forming a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic control surface includes forming first and second skins from a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin. The method further includes overmolding fiber-reinforced thermoplastic features onto the first skin and/or second skin, including stiffener structures, sidewalls, and/or hinges. The method further comprises welding or consolidating the first and second skins together, along with the associated internal features overmolded thereon to form a single-piece, stiffened, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic control surface.
Claims19
A method for forming a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic control surface, comprising:
- stacking plies of thermoplastic composite sheets to a desired thickness to form a first skin;
- transferring the first skin to an overmolding tool;
- heating the overmolding tool;
- compressing, via the overmolding tool, the first skin;
- injecting a discontinuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material between the overmolding tool and the first skin to form a stiffener structure;
- simultaneously consolidating the first skin and the stiffener structure, wherein the first skin is formed into a desired shape in response to being compressed by the overmolding tool;
- attaching the first skin to a second skin;
- and
- attaching a sidewall between and to the first skin and the second skin, wherein the sidewall at least partially encloses the stiffener structure between the first skin and the second skin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.