The Boeing Company

Barry D Matin

Neil L Hoopingarner

George E Trepus, Jr

Preston L Rider

Ellwood R Pelton

A method of prescoring foam board for making composite panels includes impressing a pattern of ridges projecting from a surface of a die into at least one face surface of the foam board. The pattern of ridges on the die forms a pattern of indentations having three series of parallel linear indentations, each series being angularly offset from each series other by 60&deg;. The ridges on the embossing die are pressed into the foam sufficiently deep that the the pattern of indentations impressed in the board surface after whatever springback occurs remain deep enough to enable volatiles generated in an interior zone of a panel to escape when drawn out by a vacuum pump when the foam board is heated under pressure between two face sheets of resin-preimpregnated fabric to form a composite panel.

Method of prescoring foam board

A foam board, for fabrication of sandwich panels made of a face sheets bonded over each side of the foam board, has two opposed planar faces having an embossed pattern in the faces. The embossed pattern has three series of parallel linear indentations, each of the series intersecting the other two series at an angle of 60&deg;, such as a series of interlinked equilateral triangles angularly offset from the other two series. The indentations into the surface of the foam boards are sufficiently deep and close together to provide escape paths for volatiles generated during the bonding. In this way, the face sheets may be bonded over the foam board and the escape paths vent the volatiles and prevents the development of excessive pressure between the face sheets that otherwise would interfere with the bonding.

Foam board

A method of prescoring foam board for making composite panels includes impressing a pattern of ridges projecting from a surface of a die into at least one face surface of the foam board. The pattern of ridges on the die forms a pattern of indentations having three series of parallel linear indentations, each series being angularly offset from each series other by 60.degree.. The ridges on the embossing die are pressed into the foam sufficiently deep that the the pattern of indentations impressed in the board surface after whatever springback occurs remain deep enough to enable volatiles generated in an interior zone of a panel to escape when drawn out by a vacuum pump when the foam board is heated under pressure between two face sheets of resin-preimpregnated fabric to form a composite panel.

A planar composite panel is constructed from two resin-impregnated fiber face sheet covering and bonded to the two sides of a honeycomb core element and a surrounding border element made of rigid foam board. The two planar faces of the rigid foam board are embossed with a pattern of indentations in the form of interlinked equilateral triangles which are sufficiently deep and close together to provide escape paths for volatiles generated inside the panel during curing of the resin in the face sheets by which the face sheets are bonded to the honeycomb core element and the foam board, to prevent the development of excessive pressure between the face sheets that otherwise would interfere with the bonding.

Composite panel

Prescored foam for panel fabrication

A knife for cutting honeycomb core and other materials with a combination of safety features to prevent or minimize injury to operator. The blade used has a hole through which a fastening device e.g. threaded screw, locks it to a handgrip. A safety guard covers the blade when not in use and automatically retracts as the blade is removed from the workpiece. The guard cannot be accidently displaced from the blade. It must be purposely unlocked by a manually triggered self-locking release assembly located in the handgrip which also automatically relocks the safety guard when retracted. The safety features consist of an automatically retractable guard attached to a safety handshield working in conjunction with the safety self-locking release assembly to prevent accidental release. Embodiments include (1) wherein the guard is opaque and has viewing ports and is hinged mechanically with springs, supports, and spacers, (2) wherein the guard is transparent eliminating the need for viewing ports, (3) wherein the guard and many other metal components are comprised of plastic, (4) wherein the guard is transparent and is hinged by an integrally molded component, (5) wherein the guard is hinged by a combination of mechanical (1) and integrally molded (4) means and (6) wherein a disposable blade is used.

Safety core cutting knife

A method of manufacturing fiber reinforced silicone elastomer hoses and the hoses (25) resulting from the method are disclosed. The method comprises the step of extruding an unreinforced silicone elastomer inner tube (13) containing two vulcanizing agents having different activation temperatures. The extruded inner tube (13) is partially cured by heating the tube to the activation temperature of the lower temperature vulcanizing agent. The partially cured inner tube (13) is mounted on a mandrel (19) and wrapped with a fabric reinforced, calendered sheet (21) of uncured silicone elastomer containing a vulcanizing agent. External pressure is applied to the wrapped tube while the wrapped tube is heated to activate the second vulcanizing agent of the inner tube (13) and the vulcanizing agent of the wrapping sheet (21).

Duplex cured elastomer hoses and method of manufacture

A non-metallic vacuum probe for elevated temperature service having a probe body portion for coupling to a vacuum line. The probe body portion is coupled through a washer shaped low friction bearing surface and gasket for sealing to a probe flange portion. Interconnection of probe body portion and probe flange portion is provided through lug and ramp means. The probe flange portion includes vacuum channels on the bottom major surface region for vacuum bag and blanket curing of plastic components or panels in autoclaves or ovens.

Non-metallic vacuum probe

A method of manufacturing fiber reinforced silicone elastomer hoses and the hoses (25) resulting from the method are disclosed. The method comprises the step of extruding an unreinforced silicone elastomer inner tube (13) containing two vulcanizing agents having different activation temperatures. The extruded inner tube (13) is partially cured by heating the tube to the activation temperature of the lower temperture vulcanizing agent. The partially cured inner tube (13) is mounted on a mandrel (19) and wrapped with a fabric reinforced, calendered sheet (21) of uncured silicone elastomer containing a vulcanizing agent. External pressure is applied to the wrapped tube while the wrapped tube is heated to activate the second vulcanizing agent of the inner tube (13) and the vulcanizing agent of the wrapping sheet (21).

Growing community of inventors

Maple Valley, WA, United States of America

Barry D Matin