The Boeing Company

Derek J Fox

Neal A Froeschner

Edward McMurray Fisher, Jr

James Robert Schnelz

Wesley L Holman

Kenneth M Harrison

Menelaos S Kafkalidis

Christopher T Allen

Patrick D Bertrand

William B H Grace

William B Grace

A pressure debulking system includes a debulking chamber having a debulking chamber interior, a pressure bladder having a bladder interior provided in the debulking chamber interior, a vacuum port disposed in fluid communication with the debulking chamber interior and a pressure port disposed in fluid communication with the debulking chamber interior. A pressure debulking method is also disclosed.

Pressure debulking system

A structural member such as a strut includes a composite material tube having metal end fittings that are attached to the tube by co-bonded, double shear joints. The double shear bond joint construction reduces the residual stress on the bonds that result from mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion of the composite tube and the metal end fittings. The ends of the fittings that are bonded to the tube may include a stepped profile that functions to limit the peak stresses in the bonds.

Composite tube having co-bonded end fittings

Pressure debulking system and method

Growing community of inventors

O'Fallon, MO, United States of America

Derek J Fox