The Boeing Company

Christopher A Howe

Adrian Mouritz

Michelle Louise Gee

Thomas Wilson

Kariza Thea Martin

Mark Stewart Wilenski

Brice Aaron Johnson

Samuel J Meure

Stuart Arthur Bateman

Sam Meure

Michael D Silcock

Paul David Evans

Justin Hicks

Jacquelynn Xueting Tian

Martin Leary

Angelo Koucoulis

Ian Cuckson

Jessica Claire Orr

George Holden

Benjamin P Adamson

A braided carbon structure and methods of forming and processing are presented. The braided carbon structure comprises axial tows comprising carbon filaments; braid tows at a braid angle relative to the axial tows, the braid tows comprising carbon filaments; and thermoplastic material within at least one of the axial tows or the braid tows, wherein the thermoplastic material makes up less than 40 of each of the at least one of the axial tows or the braid tows.

Braided composite products comprising thermoplastic material

A composite structure includes a number of fiber layers. Each fiber layer of the number of fiber layers includes a fiber bundle and a filament layer at least partially covering the fiber bundle. The filament layer includes discontinuous filaments. The discontinuous filaments include at least one of different length filaments, including first length filaments and second length filaments. The first length filaments include a first length and the second length filaments include a second length. The first length is different than the second length. The discontinuous filaments include at least one of different type filaments, including first type filaments and second type filaments. The first type filaments include a first material composition. The second type filaments include a second material composition. The first material composition is different than the second material composition. The composite structure includes a resin binding the number of fiber layers together.

Filament network for a composite structure

A method for curing a composite including a thermoset resin, a reinforcement material and a thermoplastic additive, the thermoplastic additive having a melt onset temperature, the method including heating the composite to increase a resin temperature of the thermoset resin and, during the heating, controlling the resin temperature such that the resin temperature exceeds the melt onset temperature prior to the thermoset resin achieving a degree of cure of 98 percent.

Methods and systems for curing composites and associated microcrack-resistant composites

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to vehicles, composite parts, and methods for forming a composite part for a vehicle. In one example, a vehicle comprises a composite part comprising a skin comprising one or more material layers. The composite part further comprises a stiffener comprising one or more material layers, wherein the stiffener comprises a flange and a web. The composite part also includes an additively manufactured sub-structure positioned between at least a portion of the skin and at least a portion of the stiffener. The additively manufactured sub-structure comprises at least one flange portion, at least one radius, and at least one radius filler. A polymer matrix is co-infused within the skin, the stiffener, and the additively manufactured sub-structure.

Composite part with additively manufactured sub-structure

Disclosed herein are methods for fabricating a composite structure by forming, via additive manufacturing, a solid-phase component; positioning the solid-phase component and a reinforcement into a mold cavity; and consolidating, in the mold cavity, the solid-phase component, the reinforcement, and a liquid-phase component to form the composite structure.

Method for making consolidated composite structures

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating composite parts. One embodiment is a method of fabricating a composite part. The method includes providing a preform on a tool mandrel, positioning sensors around the preform according to a target shape of the composite part, and sealing the preform with a vacuum bag to form a chamber. The method also includes applying temperature and pressure to the chamber to infuse a resin into the preform to create a composite preform undergoing infusion, monitoring a thickness of the composite preform prior to completing cure, and adjusting at least one of the temperature and the pressure prior to completing cure based on the thickness.

Composite part resin infusion with dynamic thickness control

A composite structure is fabricated by laying up at least one ply of fiber reinforcement and at least one layer of resin on a tool. The resin film layer is formed by laying strips of resin film. The fiber reinforcement is infused with resin from the resin layer.

Automated resin and fiber deposition for resin infusion

A filament network for a composite structure may include a number of fiber layers, wherein each fiber layer includes a fiber bundle and a filament layer at least partially covering the fiber bundle, the filament layer including discontinuous filaments including at least one of different length filaments including first length filaments and second length filaments, wherein the first length filaments include a first length and the second length filaments include a second length, and wherein the first length is different than the second length and different type filaments including first type filaments and second type filaments, wherein the first type filaments include a first material composition, wherein the second type filaments include a second material composition, and wherein the first material composition is different that the second material composition, and a resin binding the number of fiber layers together.

Method for forming a composite structure and a fiber layer for a composite structure

A composite article including a plurality of layers each comprising bundles of fibers separated by spaces; pins bonded to a side of at least one of bundles and extending or built through the spaces between the layers; and a resin combined with the layers and the pin. The pins form a physical barrier preventing or reducing propagation of cracks in an x-y plane of the composite article.

Composite toughening using three dimensional printed thermoplastic pins

A drop draw and extrusion method that creates anchor points around, within, or around and within, the region where a two dimensional fibrous architecture is deposited. Between the anchor points, a nozzle translates at high speeds to draw, extrude, or draw and extrude (depending on the print settings), a filament from the nozzle and build a two dimensional network of filaments connected by the anchors. Webbed architectures fabricated using the methods described herein exhibit superior structural properties.

Drop draw/extrude (DD/E) printing method

A composite article including fiber tows and a network including material drawn or pulled between the fiber tows. The network forms a physical barrier reducing propagation of cracks in the composite article. Exemplary structures described herein are the first to use a novel cellular architecture to toughen resin infused composites and create a continuous through thickness reinforcement that does not induce fiber breakage.

Thermoplastic cellular network toughened composites

A three dimensional permeable thermoplastic tape useful for joining of layers of fiber tows (plies) together so as to form highly toughened resin infused structures. In one or more embodiments, the tape is manufactured using three dimensional printing and is applied between layers of fiber tows so as to tack the layers of fiber tows in place and prevent movement of the layers of fiber tows.

Growing community of inventors

Port Melbourne, Australia

Christopher A Howe