Induction curing of cell-based structural arrays
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJoseph Lawrence Hafenrichter, Joseph A. Marshall, Gary Earnest Georgeson, David L. Banks, Robert James Miller, Paul B Mori
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Abstract
Adhesive bondlines in a cell-based structural array are thermally cured using tooling blocks inserted into the cells. The tooling blocks have embedded susceptors that are inductively heated by an alternating electromagnetic field generated by an electromagnet.
Claims20
A method of curing adhesive bondlines within cells of a cell-based composite structure, comprising:
- installing a susceptor in each of a plurality of tooling blocks;
- inserting the plurality of tooling blocks respectively in the cells of the cell-based composite structure;
- generating an electromagnetic field;
- inductively heating the susceptors using the electromagnetic field;
- and
- thermally curing the adhesive bondlines using heated susceptors,
- wherein generating the electromagnetic field includes passing high frequency alternating current through an induction coil,
- wherein the plurality tooling blocks are arranged in rows thereof, and inductively heating the susceptors includes:
- orienting the induction coil such that the electromagnetic field extends perpendicular to the rows of the tooling blocks, and
- coupling the electromagnetic field with the susceptors.
A method of curing adhesive bondlines within cells of a cell-based composite structure, comprising:
- installing a susceptor in each of a plurality of tooling blocks;
- inserting the plurality of tooling blocks respectively in the cells of the cell-based composite structure;
- generating an electromagnetic field;
- inductively heating the susceptors using the electromagnetic field;
- and
- thermally curing the adhesive bondlines using heated susceptors,
- wherein generating the electromagnetic field includes passing high frequency alternating current through an induction coil,
- wherein at least certain of the cells contains a heat sensitive component, and inductively heating the susceptors includes avoiding heating of the heat sensitive components by orienting the induction coil such that the electromagnetic field extends parallel to the heat sensitive components.
A method of curing adhesive bondlines within cells of a cell-based composite structure, the method comprising:
- installing a susceptor comprising a hollow center, respectively, in each of a plurality of tooling blocks;
- inserting the plurality of tooling blocks respectively in the cells of the cell-based composite structure such that an opening of the hollow center faces away from an electromagnet underlying the cells, the electromagnet comprising an induction coil oriented in a plane perpendicular to a length of the susceptor;
- generating, using the electromagnet, an electromagnetic field across the cells and parallel to the length of the susceptor;
- and
- inductively heating, using the electromagnetic field, each susceptor and thereby uniformly heating and thermally curing the adhesive bondlines.
A method of curing adhesive bondlines within cells of a cell-based composite structure, the method comprising:
- installing a susceptor comprising a hollow center, respectively, in each of a plurality of tooling blocks, each tooling block of the plurality of tooling blocks comprising a susceptor and an upper extension that is configured to facilitate installation and removal of the tooling blocks from the cell-based composite structure;
- inserting the plurality of tooling blocks respectively in the cells of the cell-based composite structure using the susceptor and the upper extension such that an opening of the hollow center faces away from an electromagnet underlying the cells, the electromagnet comprising an induction coil oriented in a plane perpendicular to a length of the susceptor;
- generating, using the electromagnet, an electromagnetic field across the cells and parallel to the length of the susceptor;
- and
- inductively heating, using the electromagnetic field, each susceptor and thereby uniformly heating and thermally curing the adhesive bondlines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.