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US 2013/0230690 A1Published application
Composite Structure and Method of Making the Same
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorBuddhadev Chakrabarti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A polymer-based composite sandwich includes a reinforced core bonded between a pair of composite facesheets. The core includes a truss formed by groups of composite pins held in place by a layer of structural foam. The pins in the groups are radially arranged around nodes. The ends of the pins are splayed and sandwiched between the foam layer and the facesheets.
Claims21
1-25. (canceled)
A method of fabricating comprising:
- inserting a plurality of pins into a core, the plurality of pins arranged in groups forming a truss, the plurality of pins including medial portions within the core and distal portions respectively extending through a first surface of the core and a second surface of the core, the second surface opposite the first surface, the plurality of pins further comprising first ends and second ends;
- and
- arranging, as part of inserting, the plurality of pins such that the groups comprise subsets of three or more pins of the plurality of pins that are arranged in a crossing pattern at about corresponding first ends, are spaced apart at about the corresponding first ends, are substantially circumferentially spaced equally from each other at about the corresponding first ends, and each pin of the three or more pins overlaps at least one first other pin of the three or more pins and is overlapped by at least one second other pin of the three or more pins.
A method of fabricating comprising:
- forming a core comprising a closed cell, uncured structural foam having a density between approximately 6.9 and 12 pounds per cubic foot;
- inserting a plurality of pins into the core, the plurality of pins arranged in groups forming a truss, the plurality of pins including medial portions within the core and distal portions respectively extending through a first surface of the core and a second surface of the core, the second surface opposite the first surface, the plurality of pins further comprising first ends and second ends, the plurality of pins comprising an uncured composite material;
- arranging, as part of inserting, the plurality of pins such that the groups comprise subsets of three or more pins of the plurality of pins that are arranged in a crossing pattern at about corresponding first ends, are spaced apart at about the corresponding first ends, are substantially circumferentially spaced equally from each other at about the corresponding first ends, and each pin of the three or more pins overlaps at least one first other pin of the three or more pins and is overlapped by at least one second other pin of the three or more pins.
- splaying the first ends;
- splaying the second ends;
- bending the first ends until the first ends are about parallel to the first surface;
- bending the second ends until the second ends are about parallel to the second surface;
- bonding a first uncured composite facesheet to the first ends and the first surface;
- bonding a second uncured composite facesheet to the second ends and the second surface;
- and
- co-curing the core, the pins, the first facesheet, and the second facesheet.
8 more elements
An article of manufacture comprising:
- a core;
- and
- a plurality of pins inserted into the core, the plurality of pins arranged in groups forming a truss, the plurality of pins including medial portions within the core and distal portions respectively extending through a first surface of the core and a second surface of the core, the second surface opposite the first surface, the plurality of pins further comprising first ends and second ends, the plurality of pins further arranged such that the groups comprise subsets of three or more pins of the plurality of pins that are arranged in a crossing pattern at about corresponding first ends, are spaced apart at about the corresponding first ends, are substantially circumferentially spaced equally from each other at about the corresponding first ends, and each pin of the three or more pins overlaps at least one first other pin of the three or more pins and is overlapped by at least one second other pin of the three or more pins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.