Apparatus and method of eliminating core crush
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDavid Sundquist, Garrett Peters
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A substructure and its method of use eliminates core crush during the manufacturing of a hybrid sandwich-structured composite panel. The substructure is used in the manufacturing of the hybrid sandwich-structured composite panel by positioning a core of the composite panel in a cavity of the substructure and positioning the substructure and the core between layers of composite material where the substructure protects the core from core crush as the hybrid sandwich-structured composite panel is subjected to vacuum pressure and heat during autoclaving and then cured.
Claims20
A hybrid sandwich-structured panel comprising:
- a substructure, the substructure having a cavity;
- a core positioned in the cavity of the substructure, the substructure extending around the core and containing the core in the cavity of the substructure;
- a first layer of material secured to the substructure;
- and,
- a second layer of material secured to the substructure and secured to the first layer of material, the substructure and the core positioned in the cavity of the substructure being sandwiched between the first layer of material and the second layer of material.
A hybrid sandwich-structured panel comprising:
- a substructure, the substructure having a cavity in the substructure;
- a core positioned in the cavity in the substructure, the substructure supporting the core in the cavity and providing compression reinforcement to the core;
- a first layer of composite material secured to the substructure;
- and,
- a second layer of composite material secured to the substructure and secured to the first layer of composite material with the substructure and the core positioned in the cavity of the substructure being sandwiched between the first layer of composite material and the second layer of composite material.
A method of manufacturing a hybrid sandwich-structured composite panel, the method comprising:
- positioning a substructure on a first layer of composite material, the substructure having a bottom surface and a top surface with a cavity in the substructure between the bottom surface and the top surface;
- positioning a core in the cavity of the substructure;
- positioning a second layer of composite material over the substructure and over the core positioned in the cavity of the substructure;
- autoclaving the first layer of composite material, the substructure with the core in the cavity of the substructure, and the second layer of composite material;
- and,
- curing the first layer of composite material, the substructure with the core in the cavity of the substructure and the second layer of composite material producing a hybrid sandwich-structured composite panel containing the substructure and the core positioned in the cavity of the substructure between the first layer of composite material and the second layer of composite material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.