Heat-generating tooling systems
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsXiaoxi Wang, Gary Ernest Georgeson, Jonathan A. Santiago
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of manufacturing composite workpieces that include positioning a heat-generating element proximate to an uncured composite workpiece, triggering the heat-generating element to produce an exothermic chemical reaction or exothermic physical reaction so that the temperature of the uncured composite workpiece is raised to a predetermined first temperature, and curing the composite workpiece while it is at a temperature that is at least the predetermined first temperature.
Claims20
A system for curing a composite workpiece, the system comprising:
- a constraining container, containing the composite workpiece;
- a heat-generating element adjacent the composite workpiece in the constraining container and capable of undergoing an exothermic chemical reaction or an exothermic physical reaction when triggered;
- and
- a plurality of thermally expandable pellets in the constraining container, configured to soften and undergo volumetric expansion by foaming to apply at least a predetermined pressure to the composite workpiece when heated to a predetermined first temperature by the heat-generating element.
An aircraft component manufacturing assembly, comprising:
- an uncured composite aircraft component;
- and
- a curing apparatus, including:
- one or more flexible bags containing a plurality of pellets, the pellets including a mixture of a heat-generating element, a heating mediation agent, and a thermally-expanding element, the flexible bags being disposed proximate to the uncured composite aircraft component;
- wherein the heat-generating element is capable of undergoing an exothermic chemical reaction or an exothermic physical reaction to raise a temperature of the uncured composite aircraft component to at least a predetermined first temperature when triggered, the heating mediation agent undergoes an endothermic physical reaction or an endothermic chemical reaction to decrease a maximum temperature of the uncured composite aircraft component reached after triggering the heat-generating element, and the thermally-expanding element softens and undergoes volumetric expansion by foaming when heated to a predetermined second temperature.
A curing apparatus, comprising:
- one or more flexible bags containing a plurality of pellets, the pellets including:
- a heat-generating element capable of undergoing an exothermic chemical reaction or an exothermic physical reaction when triggered;
- a heating mediation agent configured to undergo an endothermic physical reaction or an endothermic chemical reaction after the heat-generating element is triggered;
- and
- a thermally-expanding element configured to soften and undergo volumetric expansion by foaming when heated to a predetermined first temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.