US 7,824,171 B2 · Corner-consolidating inflatable apparatus and method for manufacturing composite structures

Abstract

An inflatable compaction tool for consolidating a composite material inside a faceted hollow or tubular mold for a composite part is made from an elastic material. The compaction tool includes relatively flat wall segments conjoined by corner segments that define a sealed chamber. The wall segments curve away from the mold surface toward the midpoint of each wall segment, so that as a pressurized fluid is introduced into the compaction tool, a component of the force exerted on the tool interior surface is transmitted through the wall segments toward the corner segments. Thus, during initial inflation, the corner segments are forced toward the corner regions of the mold before the wall segments contact the composite material, firmly compressing the composite material into the corner regions of the mold before the friction of the wall segments against the composite material inhibits expansion of the corner segments into the mold corner regions.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An expandable compaction tool for consolidating a composite element having at least one enclosed cross section, comprising:

at least one pair of corner segments configured to compress a composite material into internal corner regions of a mold as the tool expands;
and
a curved wall segment configured to compress the composite material against an interior wall of the mold as the tool expands, the wall segment being concave to the interior wall of the mold along a substantially entire length thereof between the corner segments when the tool is unexpanded, the wall segment conforming to the interior wall of the mold when the tool is expanded, the tool being configured such that as the tool expands, the wall segment is disposed in non-contacting relation to the composite material such that the corner segments compress the composite material into the internal corner regions of the mold before the wall segment contacts and begins to compress the composite material;
and
a faceted enclosed chamber defined by a plurality of the corner segments and a plurality of the wall segments.

2 more elements

An expandable compaction tool for consolidating a composite element having at least one enclosed cross section, comprising:

at least one pair of corner means for compressing a composite material into internal corner regions of a mold as the tool expands;
and
curved wall means for compressing the composite material against an interior wall of the mold as the tool expands, the wall means being concave to the interior wall of the mold along a substantially entire length thereof between the corner means when the tool is unexpanded, the wall means conforming to the interior wall of the mold when the tool is expanded, the tool being configured such that as the tool expands, the wall means are in non-contacting relation to the composite material such that the corner means compress the composite material into the internal corner regions of the mold before the wall means contact and begin to compress the composite material;
and
inflatable chamber means having facets and being defined by a plurality of the corner means and a plurality of the wall means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Corner-consolidating inflatable apparatus and method for manufacturing composite structures

Life of this patent

Corner-consolidating inflatable apparatus and method for manufacturing composite structures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18