Composite molding apparatus for high pressure co-cure molding of lightweight honeycomb core composite articles having ramped surfaces utilizing low density, stabilized ramped honeycomb cores

A composite molding apparatus for high pressure co-cure molding of a lightweight honeycomb core composite article having at least one ramped surface, comprising:

• a rigid base member having a molding surface;
• and
• a complementary semi-rigid mold member having molding surfaces and at least one internal rigid reinforcement insert, said semi-rigid mold member comprising a combination of layers of reinforced tooling material and unreinforced elastomeric material with said at least one rigid reinforcement insert interleaved between layers of said reinforced tooling material and said unreinforced elastomeric material wherein said semi-rigid mold member exhibits flexibility during high pressure co-cure molding such that said molding surfaces conform to and define the outer mold line surface of the lightweight honeycomb core composite article to be fabricated;
• said composite molding apparatus having a configuration for high pressure co-cure molding of the lightweight honeycomb core composite article to be fabricated, wherein composite prepregs and a low total density, stabilized ramped honeycomb core having at least one ramped surface are laved up in said composite molding apparatus to form the lightweight honeycomb core composite article having a least one ramped surface, said at least one rigid reinforcement insert of said complementary semi-rigid mold member having a configuration that matches the at least one ramped surface of the low total density, stabilized ramped honeycomb core and being disposed in opposed, parallel relation to the at least one ramped surface of the laved-up low total density, stabilized ramped honeycomb core such that said at least one rigid reinforcement insert is operative to provide symmetric pressure distributions over the at least one ramped surface of the low total density, stabilized ramped honeycomb core and overlayed composite prepregs during high pressure co-cure molding.