Laminated composite radius filler
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsPanagiotis E. George, Kirk B. Kajita, Barry P. Van West
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laminated composite (multi-ply) radius filler includes a plurality of woven fabric reinforced plies cut to fill a radius gap (including, if appropriate, intentional overfill) to increase absolute strength, to increase specific strength, or to reduce cost by reducing cracking and distortion in the radius of a composite assembly. The present invention also describes the method of manufacture and method of use for such laminated composite radius filler.
Claims9
In a fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite, a laminated composite radius filler for filling a radius gap to improve structural integrity of the composite, the filler having a longitudinal axis, comprising:
- a laminate of plies of fabric reinforced composite in the radius gap, the laminate being substantially the shape of the radius gap to fill the gap and having at least one ply oriented at +45° and another ply oriented at −45° relative to the longitudinal axis of the filler.
In combination, a radius filler filling a radius gap in a T-section in a composite assembly, the T-section being a flange-web transition in a spar or rib or a skin-stiffener interface, the radius filler comprising a generally triangular cross-section, debulked laminate of fabric reinforced plies of cured resin that substantially fills the radius gap wherein each ply in the laminate is oriented at a different angle from the adjacent ply or plies, at least one ply being oriented at a 45° orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.