Method of fabricating a complex part made of composite material

The method of fabricating a complex part having inner and outer surfaces and made of composite material and having a plurality of panels oriented in diverse angular relationship and wherein the composite material which will form the panels is laid up, then co-cured in a molding process to form the complete part, including the steps of:

• a. providing a first mold shaped to define a plurality of part defining surfaces each associated with one of said part panels and which cooperate to define one of the entire inner surface and the entire outer surface of the part;
• b. providing a mold mateable with the first mold comprising a plurality of conformable cauls, one caul for each said panel of the part, and each said caul having a surface shaped to define a portion of the other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and shaped to cooperate with others of said conformable cauls to define the entire other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and to cooperate with one of said first mold surfaces to define at least a panel of the part;
• c. selectively laying up prepreg composite material on the surface of at least one of said molds to produce a composite material lay-up of selected dimension to form the complete part;
• d. placing each conformable caul surface in alignment with a corresponding first mold surface and with the composite material lay-up therebetween;
• e. placing the first mold with the conformable cauls and composite lay-ups so positioned in a vacuum bag to thereby provide an autoclave ready unit, and
• positioning the autoclave ready unit in an autoclave and subjecting it to heat and pressure so as to co-cure all composite material lay-ups to form the complete composite material part.