The Boeing Company

Theboeing Company

Hyukbong Kwon

Paul Elfes Nelson

Christopher Gary Harris

Lisa Christina Carlson

Khanh Mai Pham

Gabriel Zane Forston

Eduard Oyzerskiy

Karl B Lee

Joshua P Tyndall

Carolyn Schmidt

Darrell Darwin Jones

Daniel M Rotter

Brian Gregory Robins

Brad Andrew Coxon

Garrett C Hanson

Douglas Allen Frisch

Kanna M Pham

Daniel M Levine

Gregory J Vering

Ben Christopher Welte

Arman Rowhani

Daniel Patrick Murphy

Robert W Wakelee

Charles Everson

Nicholas A Brigman

Gabriel Z Forston

Christopher Sanders

Douglas A Frisch

Aircraft that incorporates a rounded-hat composite stringer connected to an inner side of the skin of the aircraft to form an elongate conduit that defines a conduit axis, where the conduit axis includes at least one curving portion. The rounded-hat composite stringer can be manufactured by constructing a lower forming die and an upper forming die, each forming die having a length and defining a curve along at least a portion of the length of the die, cutting a pre-cured flat composite charge dimensioned to form the rounded-hat composite stringer, pressing the flat composite charge between the lower and upper forming dies to shape the composite charge into a pre-formed stringer having an inner side between curved fillet portions, contacting a forming member against the inner side of the pre-formed stringer, applying radius fillers to the curved fillet portions of the pre-formed stringer, curing the pre-formed stringer, and removing the forming member from the cured stringer.

Contoured composite stringers

A dam for use with a duct having a longitudinal axis. The dam employs a single piece insert having a first lateral flange and a second lateral flange configured to engage opposing interior lateral surfaces of the duct. The insert engages the duct in sealing contact in a seated position. The first and second lateral flanges are offset longitudinally along the longitudinal axis and joined with a curved wall having a curvature shaped to be received, with the insert oriented at an insert angle about a normal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, in an aperture in the duct.

Single piece vent dam

A composite structure including a composite body having an outer surface, wherein the composite body is elongated along a span axis, and a detection layer connected to the outer surface of the composite body, the detection layer including a plurality of strips, wherein each strip comprises a plurality of glass fibers embedded in a matrix material, is elongated along a detection axis, the detection axis being substantially aligned with the span axis, and is spaced a non-zero distance apart from adjacent strips such that a discontinuity is defined between adjacent strips.

Composite structure and method for barely visible impact damage detection

A method of making a joint for a structure comprises forming a thermoplastic filler, applying an uncured first thermoset layer into direct contact with the thermoplastic filler, applying an uncured second thermoset layer into direct contact with the thermoplastic filler, and applying an uncured third thermoset layer into direct contact with the thermoplastic filler. The method additionally comprises curing the uncured first thermoset layer, the uncured second thermoset layer, and the uncured third thermoset layer at a temperature below a melting temperature of the thermoplastic material to form a cured first thermoset layer, a cured second thermoset layer, and a cured third thermoset layer and bonding together the cured first thermoset layer, the cured second thermoset layer, the cured third thermoset layer, and the thermoplastic filler.

Method of making joint for structure

A composite structure including a composite body having an outer surface and a detection layer connected to the outer surface, the detection layer being discontinuous and including glass fibers embedded in a matrix material.

An apparatus includes a first thermoset layer that includes a first fibrous material embedded in a first thermoset matrix. The apparatus also includes a second thermoset layer that includes a second fibrous material embedded in a second thermoset matrix. The second thermoset layer is coupled to the first thermoset layer to form a joint. Further, a gap is defined between the first thermoset layer and the second thermoset layer. The apparatus also includes a thermoplastic filler that is made from a thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic filler is positioned within the gap.

Pre-formed thermoplastic filler for thermoset structure

A method and apparatus are provided. The apparatus comprises a composite stringer having a flange configured to contact a composite skin. The flange comprises a first region comprising tapered plies, a second region comprising tapered plies, and a first end. The first end is configured to extend to an edge of the composite skin.

Stringer flange extending to composite skin edge

A stringer and corresponding method is provided having a runout design that softens the stringer. According to one aspect, the stringer includes a base flange, a web, and a noodle. The noodle includes a unidirectional fiber top portion and a stacked laminate bottom portion coupled to the top portion. The bottom portion includes a number of stacks, each stack including three plies having three corresponding fiber orientations within an acreage region of the stringer. In a transition region of the stringer, the stacked laminate bottom portion includes a number of stacks, each stack including the first and third plies of the acreage region. According to another aspect, the base flange is softened by dropping plies within the transition region. Yet another aspect includes trimming the web down to the noodle, while trimming through the noodle according to a trim radius to a height proximate the base flange.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) stringer termination softening with stacked CFRP noodle

Apparatus and methods provide for utilizing continuous curved composite stringers to control the loads and corresponding moments within curved regions of an aircraft or other vehicle without delamination or other interlamina failures. According to embodiments described herein, any number of tapered height curved composite stringers may be coupled to continuous skin components to create a curved continuous panel. The tapered height curved composite stringers may have webs that taper to a reduced height within curved regions and corresponding base flanges that widen during web tapering. Reinforcement fittings may be coupled to the base flanges in the curved regions for further strengthening and to provide for the attachment of supplemental panels to the stringers.

Tapered height curved composite stringers and corresponding panels

Technologies are described herein for enhancing joint capability and reducing the risk of delaminating a stringer using skew-angle radius fillers. A skew-angle radius filler for enhancing joint capability includes a top surface and a bottom surface separated by a thickness. The radius filler also includes a radius contact side that has an edge radius that is sized to match a radius of a web joint of a stringer. The radius filler also includes a pair of opposing non-parallel sides that may extend from the radius contact side at an acute angle, and a rear side that is shorter than the radius contact side.

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Mukilteo, WA, United States of America

Hyukbong Kwon