Acoustic septum cap honeycomb
AssigneeHexcel Corporation
InventorEarl Ayle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An acoustic structure that includes a honeycomb having cells in which septum caps are located. The septum caps are formed from sheets of acoustic material and include a resonator portion and a flange portion. The flange portion has an anchoring surface that provides frictional engagement of the septum caps to the honeycomb cells when the caps are inserted into the honeycomb during fabrication of the acoustic structure. An adhesive is applied to the anchoring surface of the septum caps after the caps have been inserted into the honeycomb cells to provide a permanent bond.
Claims20
An acoustic structure that is adapted to be located near a source of noise, said structure comprising:
- a honeycomb comprising a first edge to be located nearest said source of noise and a second edge, said honeycomb further comprising a plurality of walls that extend between said first and second edges, said walls defining a plurality of cells wherein each of said cells has a cross-sectional area measured perpendicular to said walls and a depth defined by the distance between said first and second edges;
- a septum cap located within at least one of said cells, said septum cap comprising a sheet of acoustic material that has a thickness and a perimeter, said sheet of acoustic material being formed into a resonator portion that has an outer edge located at said walls and a flange portion that extends between said outer edge of said resonator portion and the perimeter of said sheet of acoustic material, said sheet of acoustic material comprising an open mesh fabric, said septum cap comprising an adhesive flow barrier located along said resonator portion, said adhesive flow barrier comprising open mesh fabric that has been flattened;
- and
- an adhesive that bonds said anchoring surface to said wall, said adhesive covering at least a portion of said anchoring surface.
A septum cap precursor comprising:
- a sheet of acoustic material that has a thickness and a perimeter, said sheet of acoustic material comprising a resonator portion that has an outer edge located and a flange portion that extends between said outer edge of said resonator portion and the perimeter of said sheet of acoustic material, said sheet of acoustic material comprising an open mesh fabric, said sheet of acoustic material comprising an adhesive flow barrier located along said outer edge of said resonator portion, said adhesive flow barrier comprising open mesh fabric that has been flattened.
A method for making an acoustic structure that is adapted to be located near a source of noise, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a honeycomb comprising a first edge to be located nearest said source of noise and a second edge, said honeycomb further comprising a plurality of walls that extend between said first and second edges, said walls defining a plurality of cells wherein each of said cells has a cross-sectional area measured perpendicular to said walls and a depth defined by the distance between said first and second edges;
- providing at least one sheet of acoustic material that has a thickness and a perimeter, said sheet of acoustic material comprising an open mesh fabric, said sheet of acoustic material comprising an adhesive flow barrier, said adhesive flow barrier comprising open mesh fabric that has been flattened;
- forming said sheet of acoustic material into a septum cap comprising a resonator portion that has an outer edge and a flange portion that extends between said outer edge of said resonator portion and the perimeter of said sheet of acoustic material wherein said adhesive flow barrier is located along said outer edge of said resonator portion;
- and
- inserting said septum cap into a cell of said honeycomb wherein said flange portion is in contact with said walls;
- and
- adhesively bonding said anchoring flange portion to said walls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.