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US 4,393,987 AGranted
Superplastically formed structure and method of making
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsCharles N. Anderson, Samuel D. Elrod, Gerald O. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A superplastically formed structure is prepared from a grid patterned core material that is joined to a plate by diffusion bonding or by welding to alternate joint locations on one side and at each of the other joint locations to a plate on the other side of the core. The joined core and plates are then formed by superplastic forming.
Claims13
A method of superplastically forming a reinforced panel, with steps comprising:
- placing a grid patterned core material onto a titanium sheet, locating an aluminum shim between the core and the sheet at alternate grid intersections, spot welding the core to the sheet at each intersection not having an aluminum shim, placing a titanium sheet over the core and spot welding them together at each grid intersection having an aluminum spacer, raising the temperature into superplastic forming range and introducing an inert gas under pressure between the sheets moving the sheets apart and forming a panel reinforced with the core material joined at alternate intersections to opposite face sheets.
A welding of superplastically forming a reinforced panel, with steps comprising:
- placing a grid patterned core material between a pair of titanium sheets, locating an aluminum shim at each alternate grid intersection on one side of the core and an aluminum shim at the balance of the grid intersections on the other side of the core, spot welding each grid intersection, raising the temperature into superplastic forming range and introducing an inert gas under pressure between the face sheets and moving the sheets apart with the core material joined at each grid intersection on the side of the core not having the aluminum shims to form a reinforced panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.