The Boeing Company

Jaime C Garcia

Sahrudine Apdalhaliem

Waeil M Ashmawi

Jeffery Lee Marcoe

Moushumi Shome

Marc Rollo Matsen

Kay Youngdahl Blohowiak

Brett Ian Lyons

John B Moser

Frederick Theodore Calkins

Jiangtian Cheng

Joseph L Sweetin

Kanna M Pham

Scott M Spencer

Jessica R Hughes

Cynthia G Feng

Gregory P Freed

Jae Dong Hwang

A window clamp system and method are to secure a window pane to a window frame of a vehicle. The window clamp system includes a mounting bracket configured to be secured to the window frame, one or more ratchets coupled to the mounting bracket, and a spring clip configured to move in relation to the mounting bracket and the one or more ratchets. The spring clip is configured to engage a seal positioned around the window pane.

Window clamp system for a vehicle

A method of fabricating a plank stringer for use in an aircraft includes grouping a plurality of stacked plies of reinforcing material into a plurality of charges, where each charge in the plurality of charges includes a substack of plies. The method also includes grouping the plurality of charges into two or more groups such that, for each charge in a given group, a respective substack of plies includes a sequence of orientation angles with respect to a longitudinal axis of the plank stringer corresponding to the given group. The method also includes laying up each group of charges as a continuous blanket of plies, where each continuous blanket of plies includes the respective substack of plies for each charge in the respective group. The method also includes cutting each continuous blanket of plies into the respective group of charges and stacking the plurality of charges to form the plank stringer.

Fabrication of plank stringers

Provided are assemblies having composite structures interlocked with shape memory alloy structures and methods of fabricating such assemblies. Interlocking may involve inserting an interlocking protrusion of a shape memory alloy structure into an interlocking opening of a composite structure and heating at least this protrusion of the shape memory alloy structure to activate the alloy and change the shape of the protrusion. This shape change engages the protrusion in the opening such that the protrusion cannot be removed from the opening. The shape memory alloy structure may be specifically trained prior to forming an assembly using a combination of thermal cycling and deformation to achieve specific pre-activation and post-activation shapes. The pre-activation shape allows inserting the interlocking protrusion into the opening, while the post-activation shape engages the interlocking protrusion within the opening. As such, activation of the shape memory alloy interlocks the two structures.

Assemblies including shape memory alloy fittings and composite structural members

Manufacturing a thermoplastic composite tubular structure embedded with a first load fitting comprising the steps of braiding a first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material around a soluble, expandable mandrel. A first load fitting is positioned on the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material. A second plurality of outer layers of thermoplastic composite material is braided around the first load fitting and the mandrel so as to form an overbraided mandrel embedded with the first load fitting. The overbraided mandrel is installed into a matched tooling assembly and heated at a specified heating profile in order to consolidate the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material and the second plurality of outer layers of thermoplastic composite material with the first load fitting so as to form a thermoplastic composite tubular structure embedded with the first load fitting. A second load fitting may be positioned on the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material.

Thermoplastic composite structures embedded with at least one load fitting and methods of manufacturing same

Growing community of inventors

Kent, WA, United States of America

Jaime C Garcia