Curve-wise surface flattening for composite layup
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsTroy Winfree, Ryan K. H. Lam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of performing a curve-wise flattening to determine a two-dimensional ply shape are presented. Curves are traced on a first tensor product spline representing a three-dimensional part surface. The curves are reparameterized onto a parametric domain representative of a two-dimensional space. The curves are mapped to a second tensor product spline representing a flat table space while maintaining lengths of the curves between the first tensor product spline and the second tensor product spline in the curve-wise flattening to form a flattened shape, such that resulting table-space flattened curves are parallel straight lines in a desired fiber direction.
Claims20
A method of performing a curve-wise flattening to determine a two-dimensional ply shape, the method comprising:
- tracing curves on a first tensor product spline representing a three-dimensional part surface;
- reparameterizing the curves onto a parametric domain representative of a two-dimensional space;
- and
- mapping the curves to a second tensor product spline representing a flat table space while maintaining lengths of the curves between the first tensor product spline and the second tensor product spline in the curve-wise flattening to form a flattened shape, such that resulting table-space flattened curves are parallel straight lines in a desired fiber direction.
A method of performing a flattening to determine a two-dimensional ply shape, the method comprising:
- setting an index curve on a parametric surface;
- constructing a curve flattening of the index curve;
- tracing curves on the parametric surface relative to the index curve to form traced curves;
- constructing a reparameterization map of the parametric surface whose isoparametric curves are the traced curves on the parametric surface;
- and
- constructing a flattening map by unraveling the traced curves along parallel straight lines indexed by the index curve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.