Countersinks in thin gauge thermoplastic skins
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsGregory James Schoepen Hickman, Aaron Ross Cowin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite skin is attached to an underlying structure by fasteners that are countersunk into the structure. The composite skin comprises a thermoplastic material that has been melted and formed into a countersink in the structure using a heated tool.
Claims21
A method of making a dimple in a thermoplastic skin, comprising:
- heating a cone-shaped forming tool to a melt temperature of the thermoplastic skin;
- and
- heat forming the dimple in the thermoplastic skin to match a depth and a taper angle of a cone shape of a previously formed fastener countersink of a structure underlying the dimple by driving the heated cone-shaped forming tool into the thermoplastic skin.
A method of making countersinks in a fiber reinforced thermoplastic skin, the fiber reinforced thermoplastic skin for overlying a structure having previously formed fastener countersinks, the method comprising:
- heat forming dimples in the fiber reinforced thermoplastic skin, wherein the dimples are configured to extend into and conform to the previously formed fastener countersinks in the structure.
17-20. (canceled)
A method of countersinking a thin gauge thermoplastic skin for attachment to an underlying structure with countersunk fasteners, the method comprising:
- heating a cone-shaped forming tool to a melt temperature of the thermoplastic skin;
- driving the heated cone-shaped forming tool into the thermoplastic skin to locally melt the thermoplastic skin to locally displace reinforcing fibers in the thermoplastic skin and to nest the thermoplastic skin in an existing fastener countersink previously formed in the underlying structure;
- placing the thermoplastic skin over the underlying structure, wherein the thermoplastic skin with the locally displaced reinforcing fibers is nested within a previously formed fastener hole of the fastener countersink;
- and
- inserting a countersunk fastener through the nested thermoplastic skin and the fastener hole to attach the thermoplastic skin to the underlying structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.