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US 8,430,984 B2Granted
Collapsible mandrel employing reinforced fluoroelastomeric bladder
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael A. Lee, John D. Morris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A collapsible mandrel comprises an inflatable bladder. The bladder includes a reinforcement sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a fluoroelastomeric rubber.
Claims28
A method of making composite parts, comprising:
- reinforcing a flexible bladder with substantially rigid strips, the rigid strips being positioned to define a joint between the rigid strips;
- inflating the bladder, the rigid strips increasing a rigidity of at least one side wall of the flexible bladder when the flexible bladder is inflated;
- laying up a composite part over the reinforced inflated bladder;
- deflating the bladder, the joint providing a hinge to enable a first rigid strip adjacent a second rigid strip to fold relative to the second rigid strip when the flexible bladder is deflated;
- and
- removing the bladder from the layup.
3 more elements
A collapsible mandrel, comprising:
- an inflatable bladder having collapsible side walls, the bladder including inner and outer layers of fluoroelastomeric rubber;
- and
- a reinforcement assembly positioned between the inner and outer layers, the reinforcement assembly to increase a rigidity of the side walls, the reinforcement assembly including at least a first strip to increase rigidity along a first dimensional portion of a side wall and a second strip to increase a rigidity along a second dimensional portion of the side wall, the first and second strips positioned to form a joint between the strips where the joint is to provide a hinge to allow the first portion of the side wall supported by the first strip to swing and fold relative to the second portion of the side wall supported by the second strip when the bladder is deflated.
A collapsible mandrel for laying up and curing composite parts, comprising:
- a substantially flexible bladder adapted to inflate when pressurized, the bladder including an inner layer of rubber, an outer layer of rubber and a middle layer between the inner and outer layers of rubber, the middle layer including a substantially rigid reinforcement that provides the bladder with rigidity when the bladder is pressurized, the rigid reinforcement having a first rigid strip adjacent a second rigid strip, the first rigid strip being non-continuous relative to the second rigid strip to define a joint to enable the first rigid strip to fold along the joint relative to the second rigid strip to enable the bladder to collapse when the bladder is depressurized.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.