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US 12,240,151 B2Granted
Composite structure with blind hole
AssigneeGoodrich Corporation
InventorsNathaniel Ching, Jin Hu, Wenping Zhao, Casey Slane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making a blind hole in a wall of a multi-section tank during manufacture includes inserting a thin, flexible composite spacer ring in a hole in a composite material between mating parts of a soluble tool. The composite spacer ring is cured to the composite material during curing and maintains the hole between sections of the tank once completed.
Claims19
A method of making a multi-section composite tank, comprising:
- aligning two mating sections of a soluble tool;
- applying a composite material between the two mating sections, the composite material having a central hole and a composite layer thickness;
- placing a spacer in the central hole, wherein the spacer is configured to ensure that the composite layer does not close around the central opening when the composite layer is cured and the spacer is further configured to have in-plane rigidity such that the spacer keeps its shape during a build of a multi-section tank, wherein the spacer has a spacer thickness that is no greater than the composite layer thickness and the spacer is formed from a material that will cure with the composite layer;
- curing the composite material and the spacer around the soluble tool, such that the spacer adheres to the composite material;
- and
- washing out the soluble tool to form a blind hole between mating sections of the tank.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a soluble tool comprising:
- a first mating part having an indent;
- a second mating part having an indent, the second mating part aligned with the first mating part;
- a composite layer between the first mating part and the second mating part, the composite layer comprising a central opening and having a composite layer thickness;
- and
- a spacer in and conformed to the central opening, wherein the spacer is configured to ensure that the composite layer does not close around the central opening when the composite layer is cured and the spacer is further configured to have in-plane rigidity such that the spacer keeps its shape during a build of a multi-section tank, wherein the spacer has a spacer thickness that is no greater than the composite layer thickness and the spacer is formed from a material that will cure with the composite layer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.