# US 2013/0153140 A1 · Compaction process of a piece of composite materials

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- Number: US 2013/0153140 A1
- Document ID: US20130153140A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/493,637
- Filed: 2012-06-11
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2009-12-11
- Assignees: Airbus Operations S.L.
- Inventors: Gerardo GONZÁLEZ FERNÁNDEZ; Victor SÁNCHEZ MONTES
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130153140A1

## CPC

- B29C 70/544: {Details of vacuum bags, e.g. materials or shape}
- B32B 37/1009: {using vacuum and fluid pressure}
- B29C 66/82661: {by means of vacuum}
- B29C 70/44: using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM

## Abstract

It comprises applying a mould release agent on a compaction tool (1), carrying out its curing and applying a layer with adhesive properties (2) on the mould release agent. It is characterized in that it also comprises extending an aerator blanket (4) along the layer (2) with dimensions larger than the adhesive layer (2), extending a membrane with resilient properties (5) on the entire surface of the tool (1) by applying vacuum to the membrane (5) for compacting the adhesive layer. This method reduces the number of stages required to perform the compaction and avoids the generation of waste materials thus reducing the cost of the process.

## Claims

### Claim 1

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, comprising:
applying a mould release agent on a coating piece manufacturing tool (1) and carrying out its curing;
applying a layer with adhesive properties (2) on the mould release agent, in order to leave a smooth surface of the piece to be obtained,
characterized in that further comprises:
extending along the layer with adhesive properties (2) an aerator blanket (4) with dimensions larger than said layer with adhesive properties (2);
extending a membrane with resilient properties (5) on the entire surface of the tool (1), avoiding leaving folds and that the blanket (4) does not protrude; and the membrane with resilient properties (5) including a vacuum valve (6) in order to extract the air comprised between the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the tool (1), and compacting the layer with adhesive properties (2) keeping the vacuum for certain time;
removing the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the aerator blanket (4).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized in that, upon removing the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the aerator blanket (4), comprises:
positioning patterns of composite materials on areas where the piece to be obtained should have higher rigidity;
placing a double sided tape (7) with protective plastic on the entire outline defining the piece to be obtained and overlapping it with the layer with adhesive properties (2), but in such a way that it does not stay within the outline (3) of the piece to be obtained;
mounting a layer with conductive properties (8), selected from a pattern layer, an impregnated layer, a pre-impregnated pattern layer, and a pre-impregnated mesh-shaped layer, with one of the faces protected by a protective paper (9), which is mounted on the surface of the compacted layer with adhesive properties (2), leaving the protective paper (9) arranged on the face opposite to the tool (1), the surplus part of the layer with conductive properties (8) protruding with respect to the double sided tape (7) outline;
extending the aerator blanket (4) and removing the protective plastic of the double sided tape (7);
extending the membrane with resilient properties (5) in order to carry out next a second compaction extracting the air comprised between the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the tool (1), and adhering the layer with conductive properties (8) to the layer with adhesive properties (2), to patterns of composite materials, and to the double sided tape (7);
removing the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the aerator blanket (4), detaching the protective paper (9) from the mesh with conductive properties (8) and cutting away the surplus of the mesh with conductive properties (8) according to the double sided tape (7) outline and with the help of said double sided tape (7) outline.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, according to claim 1, characterized in that, comprises:
positioning some rigidizing sheets on the layer with conductive properties (8) on the areas wherein the piece to be obtained requires higher rigidity, and said rigidizing sheets being next covered with a new layer with adhesive properties with similar dimensions;
extending the aerator blanket (4) and the membrane with resilient properties (5) in order to compact again, extracting the air comprised between the membrane with resilient properties (5) and the tool (1);
carrying out a taping selected from a manual taping and a automatic taping which laminates over the previously compacted layers in order to obtain a laminated piece named coating piece skin.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2, 3)

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that, the stage of removing the membrane with resilient properties (5) is carried out by rolling it up in a cylindrical tubular body (12).

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, according to claim 2, characterized in that the overlapping of the double sided tape (7) with the layer with adhesive properties (2) is carried out between 2 and 5 mm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

COMPACTION PROCESS OF A PIECE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, according to claim 2, characterized in that the cutting of the layer of the mesh with conductive properties (8) is carried out according to the following stages:
making a cut (10) at the widest area of one of the surplus ends and leveled with the double sided tape (7) outline;
pulling out the cut surplus in the direction of the double sided tape (7) outline, for the cut to be carried out in the same direction that said double sided tape (7) outline, being adhered to the double sided tape (7), the mesh with conductive properties (8) being leveled with said double sided tape (7).