Societe Nationale D'etude Et De Construction De Moteurs D'aviation

Other

Eric P Celerier

Philippe Henrio

Alain Fran&ccedil;ois Goncalves

Jean-Louis Robert Marcel Castanie

A process for producing a hollow article made of a composite material of reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix of hot-polymerized resin includes a step in which at least one core made of a silicone elastomer is draped with at least one layer of resin-impregnated reinforcing fibers. A resultant assembly is moulded to shape the internal and external surfaces of the hollow article by simultaneous inward and outward compression of at least one resin-impregnated fiber layer caused by movement of mould walls towards each other and by thermal expansion of at least one core.

Process for producing precision hollow articles made of composite material

A method is disclosed for simultaneously molding separate portions of an article which may be subsequently assembled to form the complete separable article. Apparatus for carrying out the method includes separate mold portions which, when assembled, define a molding cavity in which each of the mold portions has an outwardly extending flange. The mold portions are fastened together such that the flanges are spaced apart a distance at least twice as great ad the thickness of the article to be molded. The mold portions extend along a longitudinal axis and each defines a molding surfaces which extends around the axis less than 360.degree.. When the mold portions are assembled, the molding surfaces extend completely around the longitudinal axis. The mold also includes silicone bead elements extending along the longitudinal axis in the space between the spaced apart flanges. The bead elements also define molding surfaces which bear against a portion of the molding material and urge it into contact with the surfaces of the flanges to form flanges on the molded portions of the article. The method for simultaneously molding separate portions of the article involves separating the mold portions, placing a molding material, such as a prepreg of composite material in the portions such that the prepreg bears against the molding surfaces and assembling the first and second mold portions together with the bead elements and a vacuum pouch located within the molding cavity. The mold portions are assembled with the silicone bead elements extending along the space defined between the adjacent flanges.

Method for simultaneously molding portions of separable article

An apparatus for simultaneously molding separate portions of an article which may be subsequently assembled to form the complete separable article. The apparatus includes separate mold portions which, when assembled, define a molding cavity in which each of the mold portions has an outwardly extending flange. The mold portions are fastened together such that the flanges are spaced apart a distance at least twice as great as the thickness of the article to be molded. The mold portions extend along a longitudinal axis and each defines a molding surface which extends around the axis less than 360.degree.. When the mold portions are assembled, the molding surfaces extend completely around the longitudinal axis. The mold also includes silicone bead elements extending along the longitudinal axis in the space between the spaced apart flanges. The bead elements also define molding surfaces which bear against a portion of the molding material and urge it into contact with the surfaces of the flanges to form flanges on the molded portions of the article.

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Gennevilliers, France

Eric P Celerier