US 9,789,653 B2Granted

Ramped stiffener and apparatus and method for forming the same

AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH

InventorsDarren John Winter, Martin Hampden Yates

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Abstract

A die tool for forming a C-section component having radiused shoulders, the includes a cylindrical inner die and an outer die having a cylindrical central portion connected to opposing end flanges by respective radiused concave portions. A portion of the inner die is arranged to be disposed between the end flanges of the outer die and spaced apart therefrom to define a cavity corresponding to the desired cross-section of the C-section component to be formed. The radiused convex and concave portions have a radius of curvature that varies about the circumference of the respective inner and outer dies. The inner and outer dies are rotatable such that the radius of curvature of the radiused convex and concave portions where the inner and outer dies are adjacent to one another varies as the inner and outer dies are rotated.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A die tool for forming a top-hat section stiffener, the die tool comprising:

an outer die having at least two axially aligned first cylindrical body sections, the at least two first cylindrical body sections each being connected to an opposing end face by a radiused shoulder, and at least one second cylindrical body section connected between the opposing end faces of adjacent ones of the at least two first cylindrical body sections, the diameter of the first cylindrical body sections being greater than the diameter of the second cylindrical body section;
and
an inner die having at least one third cylindrical body section having opposing end faces, each end face being connected to a respective axially aligned fourth cylindrical body section by a radiused concave portion, the diameter of the at least one third cylindrical body section being greater than the diameter of the fourth cylindrical body sections, wherein:
the inner and outer dies are disposed relative to one another such that each third body section of the inner die is disposed between adjacent ones of the at least two the first cylindrical body sections of the outer die, the inner and outer dies being spaced apart from one another,
the radiused shoulders of the outer die have a radius of curvature that varies about the circumference of the first and second cylindrical body sections, and the radiused concave portions of the inner die have a radius of curvature that varies about the circumference of the at last one third cylindrical body section and of the fourth cylindrical body sections;
and
the inner and outer dies are counter rotatable such that the radius of curvature of the radiused shoulders and radiused concave portions at any given point varies as the inner and outer dies are rotated.

4 more elements

A method of forming a fibre reinforced composite top-hat stiffener comprising passing a sheet of fibre reinforced composite material between the inner and outer dies of a die tool comprising an outer die having at least two axially aligned first cylindrical body sections, the at least two first cylindrical body sections each being connected to an opposing end face by a radiused shoulder, and at least one second cylindrical body section connected between the opposing end faces of adjacent ones of the at least two first cylindrical body sections, the diameter of the first cylindrical body sections being greater than the diameter of the at least one second cylindrical boy section;

and an inner die having at least one third body section having opposing end faces, each end face being connected to a respective axially aligned fourth cylindrical body section by a radiused concave portion, the diameter of the at least one third cylindrical body section being greater than the diameter of the fourth cylindrical body sections, wherein:
the inner and outer dies are disposed relative to one another such that each third body section of the inner die is disposed between adjacent ones of the at least two first cylindrical body sections of the outer die, the inner and outer dies being spaced apart from one another, the radiused shoulder of the outer die have a radius of curvature that varies about the circumference of the first and second cylindrical body sections, and the radiused concave portions of the inner die have a radius of curvature that varies about the circumference of the at least one third cylindrical body section and of the fourth cylindrical body sections;
the inner and outer dies are counter rotatable such that the radius of curvature of the radiused shoulders and radiused concave portions at any given point varies as the inner and outer dies are rotated, and;
counter-rotating the inner and outer dies as the fibre reinforced material is passed between them.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/052,421Filed 11 Oct 2013 · division
Priority: GB 0813161.718 Jul 2008
Published: US 2014/0037778 A16 Feb 2014
Granted: 17 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B29C 70/50
Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied: for producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or…
B29C 70/504
For producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or cross moulding compounds [XMC]: using rollers or…
B29D 99/0007
Producing profiled members, e.g. beams: having a variable cross-section
Y02T 50/40
Aeronautics or air transport: weight reduction

Family

PCT/GB2009/050846Parent of this division · filed 14 Jul 2009
US 2014/0037778 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Feb 2014
Application13/003,884Parent of this division
US 8,662,873 B2Parent of this division
US 2011/0135886 A1Published application
US 9,789,653 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.