Back to results
US 2012/0056358 A1Published application
Processes and systems for manufacturing spars and other hollow structures
AssigneeFranklin D. Carson
InventorPeter G. C. Dixon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Processes for manufacturing hollow structures such as spars for helicopter rotor blades, fixed wings for aircraft, and other aerostructures can include the provision of a path for gases to exit the material from which the spar is formed as the material is heated and cured, to help eliminate voids within the material caused by the presence of such gases.
Claims23
A process for forming a hollow structure from a pre-form, comprising:
- providing, between the pre-form and an inflatable bladder, a passage through which resin and gases can flow;
- placing the pre-form, the bladder, and the breather in a mold;
- inflating the bladder so that the bladder exerts a pressure on the pre-form;
- and
- heating the pre-form to cause at least a portion of the material from which the pre-form is formed to become molten and to assume a state of fluid communication with the passage, whereby resin and gases within the molten material can exit the molten material and enter the passage.
2 more elements
A process for manufacturing a hollow structure, comprising:
- placing a pre-form in a mold;
- heating the pre-form;
- subjecting an interior surface of the pre-form to a pressure to urge an exterior surface of the pre-form into an adjacent surface of the mold;
- and
- curing at least a portion of the material from which the pre-form is formed while providing a path for resin and gases within the material to exit the material and the mold.
2 more elements
A system for manufacturing a hollow structure from a pre-form, comprising:
- a mold comprising an interior surface having a shape that approximately matches a desired shape of an exterior surface of the hollow structure;
- an inflatable bladder capable of exerting a force against an interior surface of the pre-form;
- a breather attached to the bladder;
- and
- a pressure-relief valve in fluid communication with the breather, wherein the breather forms a passage for conducting resin and gases between the pre-form and the pressure-relief valve.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.