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US 8,795,806 B2Granted
Half closed thermoplastic honeycomb, their production process and equipment to produce
AssigneesK.U. Leuven Research & Development, Jochen Pflug
InventorsJochen Pflug, Ignace Verpoest
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A half closed thermoplastic folded honeycomb structure is described which is produced from a continuous web of material by plastic deformation perpendicular to the plane of the material to thereby form half-hexagonal cell walls and small connecting areas. By folding in the direction of conveyance the cell walls meet to thereby form the honeycomb structure.
Claims16
A folded honeycomb, formed from a plurality of cells arranged in rows, comprising:
- cells comprising two 3D-structures forming cell halves, the cell halves adjoining each other in the longitudinal direction of each cell to form lateral cell walls which adjoin one another in the cross-sectional form of a ring and, the cells being bounded toward first and second opening sides of each cell by covering-layer planes whereby the cells are each bridged completely in one or other of the covering-layer planes;
- the 3D-structures are formed by plastic deformation from uncut flat body along with connecting areas produced by plastic deformation, the 3D-structures being folded together to form the lateral walls, the connecting areas closing the cells at the first and second opening sides of the cells, the connecting areas being located in one or other of the covering-layer planes in the folded honeycomb, and connecting in one of said covering-layer planes the two cell halves of a cell and in the other covering-layer plane adjacent cell halves of two neighboring cells, each cell has an opening defined by the lateral cell walls covered by a first covering-layer;
- each cell has a bottom area defined by the lateral cell walls and covered by a second covering-layer;
- each cell is surrounded by four adjacent cells having openings covered by the second covering-layer opposite the first covering-layer, all cells extending between the two covering-layers;
- the honeycomb, in each covering-layer plane, has alternate rows of openings and bottom areas, the folded honeycomb being a lightweight sandwich panel after lamination or direct extrusion of the covering layers on both sides of the honeycomb core.
2 more elements
A process for producing a folded honeycomb from a flat body composed of a plastically deformable material, comprising:
- a) plastically deforming the flat body to form cell halves having 3D-structures and connection areas therein, the connection areas being formed between 3D-structures;
- b) folding the 3D-structures towards each other to form cells made from the cell halves, the longitudinal ends of the cells being bounded toward first and second opening sides by covering-layer planes, the cell halves adjoining each other in the longitudinal direction of each cell to form lateral cell walls, the cell walls adjoining one another in the cross-sectional form of a ring so that a cell wall of one cell adjoins the cell wall of another cell in a honeycomb structure, the connecting areas closing the cells at the first and second opening sides of the cells, the connecting areas being located in one or other of the covering-layer planes in the folded honeycomb, and connecting in one of said covering-layer planes the two halves of a cell and in the other covering-layer plane adjacent cell halves of two neighboring cells;
- each cell has an opening defined by the lateral cell walls covered by a first covering-layer;
- each cell has a bottom are defined by the lateral cell walls and covered by a second covering-layer;
- each cell is surrounded by four adjacent cells having openings covered by the second covering-layer opposite the first covering-layer, all cells extending between the two covering-layers;
- the honeycomb, in each covering-layer plane, has alternate rows of openings and bottom areas, and
- c) processing the folded honeycomb to a lightweight sandwich panel after lamination or direct extrusion of the covering layers on both sides of the honeycomb core.
4 more elements
An equipment for producing a folded honeycomb from a flat body composed of a plastically deformable material, comprising:
- a) means for plastically deforming the flat body to form cell halves made of 3D-structures and connection areas therein, the connection areas being formed between the 3D-structures;
- b) means for folding the 3D-structures towards each other to form cells from the cell halves, the cell halves adjoining one another in the longitudinal direction of each cell to form lateral cell walls in the cross-sectional form of a ring so that a cell wall of one cell adjoins the cell wall of another cell in a honeycomb structure, the longitudinal ends of the cells being bounded toward first and second opening sides, the connecting areas closing the cells at the first and second opening sides of the cells, the connecting areas being located in one or other of the covering-layer planes in the folded honeycomb, and connecting in one of said covering-layer planes the two cell halves of a cell and in the other covering-layer plane adjacent cell halves of two neighboring cells;
- each cell has an opening defined by the lateral cell walls covered by a first covering-layer;
- each cell has a bottom area defined by the lateral cell walls and covered by a second covering-layer;
- each cell is surrounded by four adjacent cells having openings covered by the second covering-layer opposite the first covering-layer, all cells extending between the two covering-layers;
- the honeycomb, in each covering-layer plane, has alternate rows of openings and bottom areas and;
- c) means for processing the folded honeycomb to a lightweight sandwich panel after lamination or direct extrusion of the covering layers on both sides of the honeycomb core.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.