The Boeing Company

Other

Charles William Thomas

Benjamin Jeffrey Stephenson

Jonathan A Santiago

William Henry Ingram, Jr

Karl Marius Nelson

John Dempsey Morris

Gabriel Zane Forston

Jake Adam Reeves

Cameron Bunch

Kenneth Marvin Dull

Samuel Ray Stewart

William Stahl Hollensteiner

Megan Elizabeth Bliss

Amy E Bahe

Derek J Flolid

David Allen Hahs

John A Deddens, Sr

Kenneth M Dull

A method and apparatus for forming a radius filler. A lattice is formed of connecting elongate members having a three-dimensional shape of the radius filler. A resin is placed within the lattice.

Lattice reinforced radius filler

A structure comprising a plurality of walls defining a bladder cavity, the bladder cavity comprises an initial cross section size. A first plurality of wave features provided along at least one of the plurality of walls defining the bladder cavity. In one arrangement, the first plurality of wave features allow the structure to expand from the initial cross section size to a second cross section size after the structure becomes inflated during a composite charge cure, the second cross section size larger than the initial cross sectional size.

Bladder system for curing composite parts

A sealant tape including a base portion, first sealing portion and second sealing portion is provided. The first sealing portion includes a first ridge and the second sealing portion includes a second ridge. The sealant tape is applies to a perimeter portion of a tool such that the base portion of the sealant tape couples to the perimeter of the tool, and a vacuum bag is placed over the tool, contacting the sealant tape, and ultimately is sealed onto the tool via the sealant tape.

Sealant tape and methods using sealant tape

A method and apparatus for a reinforced bladder are provided. The reinforced bladder comprises a bladder with a cross-sectional shape formed of a polymeric material and a number of reinforcements. Each of the number of reinforcements covers only a portion of the cross-sectional shape such that part of the cross-sectional shape remains uncovered by the number of reinforcements.

Reinforced bladder

Systems and methods are provided for enhancing edge breathers for composite manufacturing. One exemplary embodiment is an apparatus that includes an edge breather to facilitate manufacturing of a composite part. The edge breather includes a body, ridges disposed along a length of the body that each define an arc which is perpendicular to a lengthwise axis of the body, and openings disposed along the body that enable air to enter a hollow interior that runs along the length of the body. The arcs defined by the ridges resist compressive loads applied to the edge breather and prevent the hollow interior from collapsing under pressure applied to the edge breather by a vacuum bag during manufacturing of the composite part.

Ridged edge breathers for composite products

A composite tool for vacuum bag processing composite parts comprises a plurality of laminated composite plies, including a facesheet adapted to have a composite part placed thereon. A gas impermeable barrier layer sandwiched between the composite plies prevents air leaks through the tool.

Composite tool having vacuum integrity and method of making the same

Edge breathers for composite products

A system and method for forming a composite filler. The method comprises applying a pressure to a first portion of a composite material blank with a pair of forming dies of a composite filler forming apparatus, the pair of forming dies having a pair of convex radii, each forming die of the pair of forming dies having a respective convex radius of the pair of convex radii. The method also repeats the applying step to a subsequent portion of the composite material blank to incrementally form the composite material blank into a desired cross-section along its length.

Composite filler forming apparatus

Apparatuses and methods of the present disclosure relate to efficient sealing of vacuum bag seams for vacuum bag processing of composite parts. Vacuum bags may enclose a composite part and form a first sealed region around the composite part. The first sealed region may be sealed by vacuum bag seams to a base supporting the composite part and/or to other vacuum bags. The vacuum bag seams may be sealed with an edge sealing frame that forms a compression seal and that defines a second sealed region including the sealed seam. Vacuum applied to the second sealed region forms a vacuum moat adjacent to the seam and/or at least partially surrounding the first sealed region. Hence, minor leaks in the compressively sealed seam are mitigated by the vacuum moat and the vacuum integrity of the first sealed region is maintained despite some potential leaks in the sealed seam.

Apparatuses and methods for efficient sealing of vacuum bag seams

A leak through the thickness of a structure is detected from one side of the structure using a leak detection layer. The leak detection layer exhibits visually observable changes when exposed to an air leak.

Leak detection in composite structures

A method and system of preparing a releasable underlying support for use in preparing a composite laminate is presented where a base tool is a covered with a conformable thin sheet on the tooling surface of a base tool, where the thin sheet is configured with one high tack surface side and an opposite side having a non-tack surface in contact with the tooling surface. The non-tack surface side will allow release of laid up pre-cure composite lamina that can then be cured on a separate curing tool. The thin sheet is positioned over the base tool and a vacuum source and sealed around the perimeter edge of the base tool. Drawing a vacuum causes the non-tack surface side of the film to be drawn downward into contact with the tooling surface. Plies of pre-cure lamina can then be added to the base tool covering and adhering to the high tack surface side.

Method and system of forming a releasable support and method of pre-cure removal of a composite laminate

A method and apparatus is presented. The composite filler comprises a number of layers of composite material and a core comprising a material which is non-bondable with the composite material.

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Charles William Thomas