# US 2021/0276300 A1 · Composite material and method of shaping composite material

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- Number: US 2021/0276300 A1
- Document ID: US20210276300A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/330,523
- Filed: 2017-11-09
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-24
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Kiyoka TAKAGI; Sota KAMO; Toshio ABE; Jun ISHIDA; Katsuya YOSHINO; Toshiaki ENOKIDA; Tetsuya KATO; Toshiyuki YAMAZAKI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276300A1

## CPC

- B29C 70/545: {Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding}
- B29C 70/50: for producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or cross moulding compounds [XMC]
- B29D 99/0003: {Producing profiled members, e.g. beams}
- B32B 3/263: {characterised by a layer having non-uniform thickness}
- B32B 5/26: another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)}
- B64C 1/00: Fuselages; Constructional features common to fuselages, wings, stabilising surfaces or the like
- B64C 1/06: Frames; Stringers; Longerons {; Fuselage sections}
- B64C 1/064: {Stringers; Longerons}
- B64C 1/065: {Spars}
- B64C 1/12: Construction or attachment of skin panels
- B29L 2031/3076: {Aircrafts (blades, propellers B29L2031/08)}
- B32B 2605/18: Aircraft
- B64C 2001/0072: {from composite materials}
- Y02T 50/40: Weight reduction
- 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)
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A composite material includes a web portion and a flange portion disposed at an end portion of the web portion. The flange portion is formed from fiber sheets laminated and has a surface on one side in a laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an inner surface to which the end portion of the web portion is connected and a surface on the other side in the laminating direction serving as an outer surface. The inner surface of the flange portion has a tapered surface having a thickness that is reduced from a base portion to which the end portion of the web portion is connected toward a front end portion in the laminating direction. The flange portion includes an outermost surface fiber sheet disposed on the tapered surface, the outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on an outermost surface that covers the tapered surface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A composite material comprising:
a web portion; and
a flange portion disposed at an end portion of the web portion, wherein
the flange portion is formed from a plurality of fiber sheets laminated and has a surface on one side in a laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an inner surface to which the end portion of the web portion is connected and a surface on the other side in the laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an outer surface,
the inner surface of the flange portion has a tapered surface having a thickness that is reduced from a base portion to which the end portion of the web portion is connected toward a front end portion in the laminating direction, and
the flange portion includes an outermost surface fiber sheet disposed on the tapered surface, the outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on an outermost surface that covers the tapered surface,
the flange portion includes
a flange laminate that is the plurality of fiber sheets laminated disposed on the inner surface side, and
a cap laminate that is the plurality of fiber sheets laminated disposed on the outer surface side,
the cap laminate includes a tapered portion having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward the front end portion in the laminating direction,
the flange laminate is disposed to cover the tapered portion, and
the fiber sheet on the outermost surface of the flange laminate is the outermost surface fiber sheet.

### Claim 2

(canceled)

### Claim 3

A composite material comprising:
a web portion; and
a flange portion disposed at an end portion of the web portion, wherein
the flange portion is formed from a plurality of fiber sheets laminated and has a surface on one side in a laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an inner surface to which the end portion of the web portion is connected and a surface on the other side in the laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an outer surface,
the inner surface of the flange portion has a tapered surface having a thickness that is reduced from a base portion to which the end portion of the web portion is connected toward a front end portion in the laminating direction, and
the flange portion includes an outermost surface fiber sheet disposed on the tapered surface, the outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on an outermost surface that covers the tapered surface,
the flange portion includes:
a flange laminate that is the plurality of fiber sheets laminated disposed on the inner surface side, and
a cap laminate that is the plurality of fiber sheets laminated disposed on the outer surface side,
the cap laminate includes an outer surface side tapered portion having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward the front end portion in the laminating direction, and
the flange laminate includes:
an inner surface side tapered portion continuous to the outer surface side tapered portion, the inner surface side tapered portion having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward the front end portion in the laminating direction, and
the outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on the outermost surface that covers the outer surface side tapered portion and the inner surface side tapered portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The composite material according to claim 1, wherein the flange portion has a cut-off surface formed by cutting off the front end portion of the tapered surface.

### Claim 5

A method of shaping a composite material that comprises a web portion and a pair of flange portions that are disposed at an end portion of the web portion and disposed on both sides of the web portion, wherein
each of the flange portions of the pair is formed from a plurality of fiber sheets laminated and has a surface on one side in a laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an inner surface to which the end portion of the web portion is connected and a surface on the other side in the laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an outer surface,
the inner surface of the flange portion has a tapered surface having a thickness that is reduced from a base portion to which the end portion of the web portion is connected toward a front end portion in the laminating direction,
the composite material includes
one flange laminate disposed from the web portion to the inner surface side of one of the flange portions,
another flange laminate disposed from the web portion to the inner surface side of the other one of the flange portions, and
a cap laminate disposed on the outer surface side of the pair of flange portions,
the cap laminate includes a pair of tapered portions having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward a front end portion in the laminating direction,
the one flange laminate covers one of the tapered portions of the cap laminate,
the other flange laminate covers the other one of the tapered portions of the cap laminate, and
the method comprises:
shaping the one flange laminate and the other flange laminate by laminating the fiber sheets, and shaping a girder member including the web portion and portion of the pair of flange portions by combining the one flange laminate and the other flange laminate that have been shaped;
shaping the cap laminate as a cap member by laminating the fiber sheets; and
shaping the composite material by combining the girder member and the cap member so that both of the flange laminates of the girder member cover both of the tapered portions of the cap member.

### Claim 6

A method of shaping a composite material that comprises a web portion and a pair of flange portions that are disposed at an end portion of the web portion and disposed on both sides of the web portion, wherein
each of the flange portions of the pair is formed from a plurality of fiber sheets laminated and has a surface on one side in a laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an inner surface to which the end portion of the web portion is connected and a surface on the other side in the laminating direction of the flange portion serving as an outer surface,
the inner surface of the flange portion has a tapered surface having a thickness that is reduced from a base portion to which the end portion of the web portion is connected toward a front end portion in the laminating direction,
the composite material includes:
one flange laminate disposed from the web portion to the inner surface side of one of the flange portions,
another flange laminate disposed from the web portion to the inner surface side of the other one of the flange portions, and
a cap laminate disposed on the outer surface side of the pair of flange portions,
the cap laminate includes a pair of outer surface side tapered portions having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward a front end portion in the laminating direction,
the one flange laminate includes:
one inner surface side tapered portion continuous to one of the outer surface side tapered portions, the one inner surface side tapered portion having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward a front end portion on one side in the laminating direction, and
one outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on the outermost surface that covers the one of the outer surface side tapered portions and the one inner surface side tapered portion,
the other flange laminate includes:
another inner surface side tapered portion continuous to the other one of the outer surface side tapered portions, the other inner surface side tapered portion having a thickness that is reduced from the base portion of the flange portion toward a front end portion on the other side in the laminating direction, and
another outermost surface fiber sheet serving as the fiber sheet on the outermost surface that covers the other one of the outer surface side tapered portions and the other inner surface side tapered portion, and
the method comprises:
shaping the one flange laminate and the other flange laminate by laminating the fiber sheets, and shaping a girder member including the web portion and portion of the pair of flange portions by combining the one flange laminate and the other flange laminate that have been shaped;
shaping the cap laminate as a cap member by laminating the fiber sheets; and
shaping the composite material by combining the girder member and the cap member so that both of the outermost surface fiber sheets of the girder member cover both of the inner surface side tapered portions of the girder member and both of the outer surface side tapered portions of the cap member.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of shaping the composite material according to claim 5, further comprising cutting off an unnecessary portion of the composite material to be finished after said shaping of the composite material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of shaping the composite material according to claim 6, further comprising cutting off an unnecessary portion of the composite material to be finished after said shaping of the composite material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The composite material according to claim 3, wherein the flange portion has a cut-off surface formed by cutting off the front end portion of the tapered surface.