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US 2019/0240876 A1Published application
Composite structures
AssigneeBell Helicopter Textron Inc.
InventorsWei-Yueh Lee, Paul K. Oldroyd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include forming a ply stack on a tool, the ply stack comprising a plurality of plies; compacting the ply stack; and heating the ply stack during the compacting to form a composite structure, wherein the heating is caused by an electromagnetic inductive device or a radiative device. Compacting the ply stack can include encapsulating the ply stack within a bag and increasing a vacuum within the bag to increase external pressure on the bag and the ply stack.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- forming a ply stack on a tool, the ply stack comprising a plurality of plies;
- compacting the ply stack;
- and
- heating the ply stack during the compacting to form a composite structure, wherein the heating is caused by an electromagnetic inductive device.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- forming a ply stack on a tool, the ply stack comprising a plurality of plies;
- compacting the ply stack;
- and
- heating the ply stack during the compacting to form a composite structure, wherein the heating is caused by a radiative device.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a tool upon which a ply stack is formed;
- a bag to form a sealed volume around the tool and the ply stack;
- and
- a device to cause the ply stack to be heated using inductive or radiative heating.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.