Structural airfoil having integral expulsive system
AssigneeThe B.F. Goodrich Company
InventorsKevin L. Leffel, James C. Putt, Richard L. Rauckhorst
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A structural member having integral surface de-icing capability and method of manufacture are described. The structural member includes a non-metallic high tensile modulus fiber-reinforced matrix structural backing, thin force and displacement generation means, and a thin high tensile modulus outer skin bonded to said backing and said force and displacement generation means which is postioned between the backing and the skin. The force and displacement generation means may include one or more inflatable tubular members and/or electromagnetic apparatus. The structural member may be substituted for the aluminum alloy leading edge structural skin typically employed on modern aircraft.
Claims15
A method of making a unitary structural member having integral surface de-icing capability, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a female mold,
- (b) inserting an outer thin high tensile modulus skin having an inner side and an obverse outer side and an outer bonding layer into the mold with the outer side of the skin nearest the mold,
- (c) forming thin force and displacement generation means having an inner side and an obverse outer side and applying the outer side of the thin force and displacement generation means to the outer bonding layer,
- (d) forming a composite substructure of a plurality of layers of reinforcing filaments in a polymeric matrix and applying said substructure to the inner side of the force and displacement generation means, and
- (e) bonding the combined outer skin, force and displacement generation means, and substructure together to provide said unitary structural member.
A method of making a unitary structural member having integral surface de-icing capability, the method comprising:
- (a) Providing a female mold, and
- (b) Preparing a titanium alloy sheet by, (1) dimpling the sheet at predetermined locations, (2) anodizing one side of the sheet, and (3) applying a layer of nitrile phenolic film adhesive to the anodized side of the sheet, and
- (c) Coating a tightly woven nylon cord fabric on one side with nitrile phenolic polymer, and
- (d) Forming a flattened cured tube from the coated fabric by, (1) cutting a strip from the coated fabric on a bias such that the cords run at a bias angle of about 45 degrees relative to the length of the strip, (2) applying a layer of non-adhering material to the coated side of the fabric strip such that the width of the no-adhering layer corresponds to the finished width of the flattened tube, (3) superposing a billet of non-adhering material over the first layer of non-adhering material, (4) wrapping the strip of coated fabric in the lengthwise direction around the billet so as to form a lengthwise extending overlapped area, and (5) curing the wrapped strip of coated fabric under heat and pressure while encased on the billet, and
- (e) Forming a cured subassembly consisting of a fabric backing and a plurality of tubes and fitting by, (1) forming apertures in a cured tube and installing at least one inlet fitting and at least one outlet fitting using additional film adhesive and fabric reinforcement to bond the fittings to the tube,(2) removing the billet, (3) folding each end of the tube over onto itself using a layer of film adhesive to form a closure of the tube end, (4) applying a layer of coated fabric over a plurality of tubes and fittings, (5) placing the subassembly into the female mold in the position it will occupy in the resulting structural member, (6) curing the subassembly with heat and pressure, and (7) removing the cured subassembly from the female mold, and
- (f) Placing the prepared titanium alloy sheet and the cured subassembly into the female mold such that the film adhesive is sandwiched in between the cured subassembly and the titanium alloy sheet, and applying heat and pressure to cure the film adhesive and bond the subassembly to the titanium alloy sheet, and,
- (g) Applying a plurality of resin prepreg reinforcing fabric plies to the cured subassembly opposite the skin to form a substructure which is subsequently cured under heat and pressure to form a unitary structure, and
- (h) Removing the unitary structure from the female mole and boring through the unitary structure at the dimpled locations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.