The Boeing Company

Arnold J Lauder

Antonio M Ferreira

David Boonstra

Mark Frederick Gabriel

Roger J Ledet

Mathew J Shewfelt

Claudio Zubin

Stefan Ozog

Geoffrey Gibbings

Trevor M McDonald

Damjan Simonovic

John E Yestrau

Kevin C Barrett

Brian L Riedel

Holly J Thomas

Marc J Froning

Marta Baginska Elleby

Alan Wright

Jessica Fichtner

Michael R Hebert

Garth Vincent Kummen

Demsey Drew Kirkwood

Mark F Gabriel

The present disclosure provides a co-bonded acoustic liner, including a honeycomb core with cells therein, a thermoset-based plastic septa material co-bonded to a top face of the honeycomb core; a facesheet with perforations to enable airflow, co-bonded to the thermoset-based plastic septa material; and an optional backside skin positioned under the honeycomb core, co-bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core, wherein the liner supports a single degree of freedom acoustic structure. The disclosure further provides methods of preparing and using such co-bonded acoustic liners.

Structural single degree of freedom acoustic liner

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an acoustic inlet barrel of an engine. The acoustic inlet barrel may include an inner barrel configured to provide a boundary for directing airflow through the engine. The inner barrel may include an inner face sheet separated from an outer face sheet by an acoustic core. The inner barrel may include a plurality of elongated, non-circular perforations formed through the inner face sheet.

System and method for forming elongated perforations in an inner barrel section of an engine

A co-curable thermoset acoustic liner and method of forming the same includes a sound attenuating core having a plurality of core cells. An inner face sheet having a plurality of face sheet apertures is coupled to the core by an inner thermoset adhesive sheet, which has a plurality of adhesive sheet apertures. Each of the plurality of adhesive sheet apertures is aligned within a corresponding one of the plurality of face sheet apertures so that the plurality of core cells are placed in fluid communication with airflow over the inner face sheet to create a Single Degree of Freedom (SDOF) acoustic liner.

Structural single degree of freedom face sheet acoustic liner

A drilling system includes a single robotic drilling unit having a drill end effector positioned inside a barrel section configured as a composite sandwich structure having an inner face sheet. The robotic drilling unit is operable to drill a plurality of perforations into the inner face sheet using the drill end effector. The robotic drilling unit is configured to index a hole pattern of the perforations to one or more cell walls of a honeycomb core of the composite sandwich structure. The robotic drilling unit is configured to form the hole pattern in the inner face sheet such that the perforations are located at a spaced distance from the cell walls of the honeycomb core.

Systems and methods for forming perforations in a barrel structure

A sandwich acoustic liner assembly includes a honeycomb core and a thermoplastic fabric sheet positioned in overlying relationship and structurally bonded with the honeycomb core. Further included is a method for fabricating a sandwich acoustic liner assembly which includes the steps of positioning a thermoplastic fabric sheet in overlying relationship with a honeycomb core and bonding structurally the thermoplastic fabric sheet to the honeycomb core.

Thermoplastic bonding process for acoustically treated linear facesheets

Presently disclosed systems and methods provide for a quick-change clamp arm that may be coupled to and removed from a robot end effector via a quick-change feature coupled to the robot end effector. Systems may include a plurality of such quick-change clamp arms that each may be coupled to a given robot end effector such that when one is removed, a different respective quick-change clamp arm may be coupled to the robot end effector. The robot end effector may be configured to perform a task to one side of a workpiece, while the quick-change clamp arm applies a stabilizing normal force to the other side of the workpiece. Due to the interchangeable nature of presently disclosed quick-change clamp arms, systems may reduce the number of robot end effectors required for a given manufacturing process. Related methods of removing and coupling quick-change clamp arms to robot end effectors may be automated.

Quick-change clamp arms for robot end effectors, systems including the same, and related methods

A drilling system may include a plurality of robotic drilling units. Each one of the robotic drilling units may include a drill end effector positioned inside a barrel section. The barrel section may be configured as a composite sandwich structure having an inner face sheet. The robotic drilling units maybe operable in synchronized movement with one another to drill a plurality of perforations into the inner face sheet using the drill end effectors in a manner providing a predetermined percent-open-area of the inner face sheet.

System for forming perforations in a barrel section

System and method for forming perforations in a barrel section

A method of fabricating a composite part comprises generating a partial vacuum between a ply material and a form, advancing the partial vacuum and the ply material along the form, sensing an edge of a previously applied course of the ply material and cutting a profile on the ply material in response to the sensed edge.

Machine assisted laminator and method

A system to fabricate a composite item includes an end effector, robotic vehicle, sensor, and cutting system. The end effector applies a course to a layup form. The robotic vehicle positions the end effector. The sensor senses an edge of a previously applied course. The cutting system cuts a profile on the course in response to the sensed edge.

To apply a plurality of courses on a layup form to fabricate a composite item, a first course of the plurality of courses is applied on the layup form along a first path. A second path is determined that overlaps an edge of the first course by a predetermined minimum overlap distance. The edge is sensed. A profile is cut along a second course of the plurality of courses to correspond to the sensed edge. The second course is applied on the layup form along the second path.

Slit-course ply placement device and method

A device for placing a ply on a substrate surface includes a vacuum manifold assembly configured for attachment to a vacuum source and a substrate seal configured to provide a substantially gas impermeable interface with the substrate surface. This device further includes a ply seal configured to provide a substantially gas impermeable interface with the ply. In this manner, vacuum applied to the vacuum manifold assembly depressurizes an area between the ply and the substrate surface.

Vacuum assisted ply placement shoe and method

A method of manufacturing and supplying a net-moulded article of expandable syntactic material and a related shipping package are provided. The moulded article is formed at a manufacturing facility where the forming process can be controlled to ensure production of quality syntactic material articles. The moulded article is formed by dispensing the material into a mould having a cavity with a shape matching that of a desired syntactic article to be used in an assembly at a point of use. The mould and moulded article are covered with a protective film to form a mould kit which is shipped to the point of use location. At the point of use location the moulded article is removed from the mould and preferably immediately positioned in the assembly without significant cutting, trimming, forming or other labor intensive actions. Once positioned, the net-moulded article and the assembly are cured to integrate the moulded article with the assembly.

Method of supplying a net moulded syntactic article and related shipping packages

A filament and mandrel preheat apparatus is mountable to the payout assembly of a winding machine. The apparatus has heating tubes or electric torches that deliver a heated airflow of variable heat flux into a duct. The exit end of the duct is positioned near the filament and mandrel and preheats it during winding. The duct is rotatable so that the airflow can be directed away from the filament during either a pause or stoppage of winding.

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Winnipeg, Canada

Arnold J Lauder