The Boeing Company

Blake Anthony Bertrand

Arne Kenneth Lewis

Aydin Akdeniz

David Mitchell Anderson

Remmelt Andrew Staal

Perry Thomas Horst

Gregory Jonathon Smith

Pradeep Krishnaswamy

Melissa H Lewis

Baris Yukseloglu

Gary E Georgeson

Richard Henry Bossi

Jeffrey Reyner Kollgaard

Gregory James Sweers

Steven Donald Blanchard

Composite laminates fabricated from one or more respective laminae of composite material (e.g., fiber-reinforced polymers) may be pre-formed and fully cured, yet configured to be selectively conformable to a desired radius of curvature. To repair a damaged composite structure, a plurality of such composite laminates may be bonded together to form a repair part that may be bolted to or otherwise secured to the damaged composite structure, thereby repairing the structure using repair parts that may match the parent material of the damaged composite structure. Methods of forming said repair parts from a plurality of such composite laminates may provide advantages in costs and lead time, over conventional techniques. Kits may include a plurality of such pre-formed and cured composite laminates that may be stacked and combined together in a plurality of different arrangements to create a customizable repair part for a given damaged composite structure.

Methods of fabrication of composite repair parts and related kits

A hole plug that can be used during rework or repair of a composite fiber assembly includes various features that allow placement of a vacuum force to the surface being reworked or repaired. In some implementations, the hole plug can include a plurality of nubs positioned around a shank. The nubs can secure the hole plug to the composite fiber assembly until a cure of an adhesive. The hole plug can further include a plurality of longitudinally oriented grooves extending along the shank and positioned between the plurality of nubs, and can include a notch positioned circumferentially around the shank. The grooves and notch can be used as adhesive carriers that assist with dispersal of a sufficient volume of the adhesive onto other portions of the shank and the composite fiber assembly during insertion of the hole plug into a hole in the composite fiber assembly.

Locking hole plug for sealing holes in composite structures

A method of evaluating continued usage of a particular type of aircraft after a lightning strike includes performing structure assessments of one or more structures of the type of aircraft based on one or more representative values for lightning strike damage for the type of aircraft. The method also includes determining a number indicating how many flights an aircraft of the type of aircraft can fly after a lightning strike and before performing an extended conditional inspection for lightning strike damage.

Enablement of aircraft operation with limited inspection after a lightning strike and before performance of an extended conditional inspection for lightning strike damage of the aircraft

A test fixture for securing a test article is disclosed. The test fixture includes a frame, an upper grip, at least one heat shield, a cooling assembly, and insulation. The frame defines an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion of the frame is releasably mounted to a vibration device. The upper grip is connected to the upper portion of the frame and the lower grip is connected to the lower portion of the frame. The heat shield is positioned to insulate at least one of the upper grip and the lower grip. The upper grip is configured to secure an upper portion of the test article along an upper interface. The lower grip is configured to secure a lower portion of the test article along a lower interface. The cooling assembly transports a cooling medium across at least one of the upper interface and the lower interface.

Test fixture for tensioning and cooling an article

Provided is a method a method for reworking an article. The method includes forming a patch over an area of a composite structure requiring rework. The forming includes placing a first film-adhesive over the area of the composite structure requiring rework, wherein the first film-adhesive extends over a first surface area of the structure including beyond an entirety of the area requiring rework, placing a first pre-cured ply stack over the first film-adhesive, wherein the first pre-cured ply stack extends over a second surface area of the composite structure; placing a second film-adhesive over the first pre-cured ply stack, wherein the second film-adhesive extends over a third surface area of the composite structure; and placing a second pre-cured ply stack over the second film-adhesive, wherein the second pre-cured ply stack extends over a fourth surface area of the composite structure.

Structural pre-cured repair patch for repair to highly loaded primary and secondary structural components

A test fixture for securing a test article is disclosed. The test fixture comprises a frame, an upper grip, a lower grip, a tensioner assembly, and a cooling assembly. The frame defines an upper portion and a lower portion, where the lower portion of the frame is configured to be releasably mounted to a vibration device. The upper grip is connected to the upper portion of the frame and the lower grip is connected to the lower portion of the frame. The upper grip is configured to secure an upper portion of the test article along an upper interface, and the lower grip is configured to secure a lower portion of the test article along a lower interface. The tensioner assembly is located at the upper portion of the test fixture. The cooling assembly transports a cooling medium across at least one of the upper interface and the lower interface.

An area of a composite laminate structure is reworked by scarfing the area, generating a 3-D map of the scarfed area, and installing a rework patch that is built based on the 3-D map.

Automated production and installation of patches for reworking structures

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing nondestructive inspection (NDI) services. For example in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a system for remote inspection includes a nondestructive inspection (NDI) system configured to examine a structure and provide NDI data related to a damage condition of the structure, the NDI system being configured to communicate the NDI data to a remote location; and a remote computer disposed at the remote location, the remote computer being configured to receive the NDI data and provide the received NDI data for a review, the remote computer being configured to communicate an analytical result based on the review to the NDI system, the analytical result including a repair disposition decision corresponding to the damage condition.

Growing community of inventors

Port Orchard, WA, United States of America

Blake Anthony Bertrand