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US 12,036,751 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic structure
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsAmol Ogale, Randall Dow Wilkerson, Alexander Rubin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic structure include laying a first plurality of braided plies on a mandrel, and laying one or more unidirectional plies on the plurality of braided plies. A second plurality of braided plies is laid on the one or more unidirectional plies. The layup thereby forms a thermoplastic structure having combined braided and unidirectional plies.
Claims20
A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic rotor blade structure, the method comprising:
- laying a first plurality of braided plies on a mandrel, wherein the mandrel comprises a plurality of sections with section shapes that vary along a length of the mandrel, and wherein the mandrel comprises a transition section located between a first section and a second section of the plurality of sections;
- laying one or more unidirectional plies on the first plurality of braided plies;
- laying a second plurality of braided plies on the one or more unidirectional plies;
- and
- laying one or more patches on one or more of the first plurality of braided plies or the one or more unidirectional plies at the transition section.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.