Airbus Operations Gmbh

Gary Wiles

Andrew Levers

Peter Baker

A method of assembling and shaping a laminate panel. An intermediate member is mounted on a lay-up table and a lay-up is assembling by laying a series of plies onto the intermediate member on the lay-up table. The intermediate member and the lay-up are then removed from the lay-up table and placed them on a shaped surface. The lay-up is then forced against the shaped surface, via the intermediate member, in a manner that modifies the shape of the lay-up to form a shaped laminate panel. Finally the shaped laminate panel is removed from the intermediate member. The lay-up table can thus support the flexible intermediate member during assembly, and can be relatively flat to enable the lay-up to assembled by an automated process.

Assembling and shaping laminate panel

A curable assembly which upon the application of curing conditions will form a completed component or part component comprises two pieces of composite fiber-reinforced, resin matrix material, with filler component of relatively rigid material arranged therebetween. The intermediate component is arranged to be secured between the two pieces. The filler component has a body with first and second opposing surface profiles. The filler component can be used to transmit or react a consolidating load during curing.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Gary Wiles