The Boeing Company

Dennis Lynn Coad

Bruno Zamorano Senderos

Douglas Eugene Bailey

Jeffrey H Hunt

Wayne Richard Howe

Angela W Li

Edward McMurray Fisher, Jr

Brian Allen Carter

Alan Buitekant

Garnel King

Glenn David Hardin

Jon Paul Thurber

Daniel G Sanders

Ali Yousefiani

Gregory R Day

James Ross Dobbs

Elizabeth M Bowman

Danielle N Bowman

Chris T Radcliffe

Kenneth Walter Young

Rogie I Rodriguez

Peter J Bocchini

Stefanie Anita Meier

James E Russell

Thomas M Collins

William Atwell

Jennifer L Chevallier

Robert Jerrell Harris, Jr

Victor L Alonso

Patrick D McAllister

Edward Mcmurray Fisher Jr

Implementations provide cold spray additive manufacturing ('CSAM')-based fabrication of a complex multi curvature part (“CMCP”) by cold spraying onto a mold. Implementations achieve the desired shape and dimensions of a CMCP having variable surface thicknesses and utilize reinforcements integrated during CSAM. Reinforcements are integral to each CMCP as soon as fabrication is complete, and maintain stiffness, avoid fluttering, and provide other similar benefits. Implementations provide a stiff CMCP with multiple curvatures having fully controllable variable thicknesses. Integral reinforcements added during fabrication avoid tolerance issues by avoiding coupling non-reinforced CMCPs to reinforcements or other post-fabrication adjustments. CSAM-based CMCPs, having directly integrated reinforcements, exhibit superior tolerances that do not need to be re-worked or otherwise corrected after fabrication. Reinforcement attachment methods that have complex load transfer behavior are not necessary. In some implementations, simplifying load transfer increases the maximum load and decreases the overall weight of the finished CMCP.

Apparatuses, methods, and products for cold spray additive manufacturing of multi curved and reinforced components

Implementations are provided for fabricating a finished workpiece having a shaped portion. One implementation includes: a superplastic formation diffusion bonding (SPFDB) component; a cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) component; and a mold having a concavity. Various configurations can operate on a workpiece with the SPFDB and CSAM components in different orders. An implementation is configured to cold spray (with the CSAM component) an additive material onto the workpiece; and perform superplastic forming (with the SPFDB component) on the workpiece with the mold, thereby rendering the workpiece into the finished workpiece having the shaped portion. The shaped portion conforms to a shape defined by the concavity. Cold spraying results in an increased thickness of the finished workpiece in a target region, which can provide structural reinforcement, and which can have a tapered edge. The workpiece can be a metal substrate made of titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, or another material.

Systems and methods for cold spray additive manufacture with superplastic formation diffusion bonding

A reinforced structural component includes a body portion made of a combination of plastic material and chopped fibers. The body portion has a central longitudinal axis and a cross-section orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis, with the cross-section having an outer periphery and an inner core inward of the outer periphery. The body portion has an outer peripheral portion and an inner core portion corresponding to respective longitudinal projections of the outer periphery and inner core. The body portion is configured for being acted upon by a combination of forces causing tension within one or more longitudinal segments of the inner core portion. The reinforced structural component also includes one or more layers of continuous fiber disposed longitudinally within the one or more longitudinal segments, so as to resist tension caused within the one or more longitudinal segments.

Reinforced structural component for resisting tensile loading and providing impact resistance

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method of use thereof for compressive creep testing of materials in the presence of fluids. The apparatus includes a cantilever arm connected on a first end to a cantilever pivot and including a weight holder on a second end; a first platen connected to the cantilever arm via a swivel located between the first end and the second end; a reservoir; and a second platen disposed within the reservoir and positioned to secure a sample between the first platen and the second platen when a force is applied via the weight holder and the first platen to a sample. Electrical properties of the material can be monitored and measured during the compression creep testing.

Compressive creep flow determination in fluids

Described herein are dielectric fluid testers for determining dielectric breakdown of fluid samples, systems comprising such testers, and methods using thereof. A dielectric fluid tester comprises a container and two electrodes. The test heads of these electrodes protrude inside the container and face each other, forming a gap. In some examples, one or both electrodes are movable for adjusting the gap and/or the volume inside the container available for a fluid sample. For example, the container includes two internal seals, one of which has a fixed position and is slidably coupled to a respective electrode. The other seal is slidably coupled to the container and moves together with the corresponding electrode. The container comprises an access port, providing a fluid communication between the fluid sample and an external pressure-controlling source. In some examples, the access port is used to deliver and remove the fluid sample from the container.

Method and systems for determining dielectric breakdown voltages of fluid samples using dielectric fluid testers

A system includes a cell support having a first opening defined therethrough. The first opening is configured to have a first battery cell positioned at least partially therein. The system also includes a first insulator positioned at least partially within the first opening and at least partially around the first battery cell. The first insulator comprises a first solid diamond-like carbon insert that fills a first gap between the first battery cell and the first opening.

System and method for maintaining thermal control of battery cells

The present disclosure provides for parallel sample stress rupture test in a controlled environment by loading predefined amounts of weight on stack lines; positioning the stack lines on a tensioning platform in alignment with respective upper clamps when the tensioning platform is a first distance away from the upper clamps; clamping samples to a corresponding lower clamp and upper clamp pair; and moving the tensioning platform to a second distance away from the upper clamps that is greater than the first distance such that the stack lines are suspended above the tensioning platform to apply individual tensions to the individual samples based on the predefined amount of weight loaded onto the individual stack lines.

Parallel sample stress rupture test in a controlled environment

A system includes a cell support and an insulator. The cell support has an opening defined therethrough. The opening is configured to have a battery cell positioned at least partially therein. The insulator is positioned at least partially within the opening. The insulator is configured to be positioned between the battery cell and the cell support such that the insulator electrically-insulates the cell support from the battery cell.

A compositionally-graded structure including a body having a first major surface and a second major surface opposed from the first major surface along a thickness axis, the body including a metallic component and a ceramic component, wherein a concentration of the ceramic component in the body is a function of location within the body along the thickness axis, wherein transitions of the concentration of the ceramic component in the body are continuous such that distinct interfaces are not macroscopically established within the body, and wherein the concentration of the ceramic component is at least 95 percent by volume at at least one location within the body along the thickness axis.

Compositionally-graded metal-ceramic structure and method for manufacturing the same

Radiation-shielding composite materials and their methods of manufacture. Such methods may include adding a metal hydride to a hardenable matrix precursor, adding a reinforcing material to the hardenable matrix precursor, and hardening the matrix precursor to form a composite material that incorporates the reinforcing material and the metal hydride in a solid matrix. The resulting radiation-shielding composite materials are configured to attenuate incident radiation, and may be used in the construction of panels, laminate structures, buildings, and aerospace vehicles, among others.

Radiation-shielding material and manufacture thereof

A test fixture configured to attach to and apply a tensile force to a test specimen. The test fixture may include a first clevis section and a second clevis section that are each configured to be attached to the test specimen. Each of the first and second clevis sections may include a fixed block and a movable block. Connectors connect the clevis sections together and hold the test specimen. The first and second clevis sections may be moved apart to apply a force to the attached test specimen to test one or more properties of the test specimen.

Fixture for testing a test specimen

The present disclosure is directed to a particle shooter system. The particle shooter system comprises a non-carbon topological insulator nanotube defining a bore extending between first and second ends thereof. A particle shooter is operably coupled with the first end of the non-carbon topological insulator nanotube, and configured to transmit a single particle through the bore of the non-carbon topological insulator nanotube. A positioning mechanism is operably coupled with the non-carbon topological insulator nanotube and configured to aim the non-carbon topological insulator nanotube at a target disposed proximal the second end thereof.

Topological insulator nanotube device and methods of employing the nanotube device

A method for manufacturing a component having a spatially graded property includes providing a first layer of particulate matter, the first layer having first material characteristics, and providing a second layer of particulate matter, the second layer having second material characteristics different from the first material characteristics. The method further includes providing an interlayer between the first layer and the second layer and heating the first layer, the second layer, and the interlayer to bond the first layer with the second layer.

Methods for manufacturing components having spatially graded properties

Methods provide for creating a three-dimensional random fiber orientation in a composite component. According to embodiments described herein, narrow flakes are created from a unidirectional composite fiber tape and poured into a reservoir of a mold, creating a three-dimensional random fiber orientation of the narrow flakes within the reservoir. At least a majority of the narrow flakes have an aspect ratio of length to width of at least 6:1. The narrow flakes are heated and compressed to fill the mold and create the composite component. The three-dimensional random fiber orientation of the narrow flakes within the reservoir is maintained as the narrow flakes are pushed through the mold, creating consistent, uniform strength characteristics throughout the resulting composite component.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, AL, United States of America

Dennis Lynn Coad